posted on Jan, 19 2013 @ 11:12 AM
Originally posted by RUFFREADY
This is near where the Gale Crater that the rover is exploring.
Gale Crater is believed by NASA to have once been a lake or even an ancient sea. Curiosity has already found was is probably an ancient stream bed in
Gale Crater.
That ancient river bed in your OP would be worth seeing, but there is enough in Gale Crater already that will probably take the lifetime of the rover
to explore. Curiosity has not yet even got to its prime Gale Crater target yet -- that would be the exposed rock strata of the sides of Mt. Sharp
(Mt. Sharp is now officially named "Aeolis Mons").
Aeolis Mons is in the middle of Gale Crater, and is thought to have been made by the lake/sea that may have once covered Gale Crater. NASA scientists
believe Aeolis Mons is made up of the sediment that was laid down at the bottom of that sea or lake over millions an millions of years. After the
water disappeared, wind erosion carved away much -- but not all -- of the sediment, once again exposing Gale Crater, but leaving behind some of that
sediment as Aeolis Mons/Mt. Sharp.
EDIT TO ADD:
By the way, Curiosity and Gale Crater are more than 1500 miles away from this ancient river bed. That's way, way too far away.
edit on 1/19/2013 by Soylent Green Is People because: (no reason given)