A new collection of images from Curiosity shows the dark sandstone area of Mars to have inclined bedding structures similar to sand dunes that were later cemented into rocks.
The panorama from Curiosity's Mast Camera of the sand dune-like structures was released on NASA's website. The photos comprise dozens of images that the rover obtained starting Aug. 27, according to Softpedia.
The captured sandstone outcrop is part of a geological layer that Curiosity's science team calls the Stimson unit. It has a huge structure called crossbedding that the team has interpreted as deposits of sand dunes formed by wind. The geometry and orientation of the crossbedding give clues of the wind direction that produced it, Click On Detroit reports.
The structures found on Mars are very similar to petrified sand dunes in the U.S. Southwest.
Curiosity has been searching for evidence about changes in the area's ancient environment through higher and younger layers in Mount Sharp, and the Stimson unit is an example of an area that formed over a layer of mudstone deposited in a lake environment, according to NASA.
Curiosity launched in November 2011, landing in August 2012. It has since been studying the surface of the red planet, reaching Mount Sharp last year.
Curiosity's Mast Camera is operated by Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego.
