How much of the sediment in Gale crater's central mound was fluvially transported?

The origin of the sedimentary mound within Gale crater, the landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory rover , remains enigmatic. Here we examine the total potential contribution of fluvial material by conducting a volume-based analysis. On the basis of these results, the mound can be divided into three zones: a lower, intermediate, and upper zone.

Distribution of mid-latitude ground ice on Mars from new impact craters.

New impact craters at five sites in the martian mid-latitudes excavated material from depths of decimeters that has a brightness and color indicative of water ice. Near-infrared spectra of the largest example confirm this composition, and repeated imaging showed fading over several months, as expected for sublimating ice. Thermal models of one site show that millimeters of sublimation occurred during this fading period, indicating clean ice rather than ice in soil pores.