Hottah is a rock outcrop on the surface of

Aeolis Palus Aeolis Palus is a plain between the northern wall of Gale crater and the northern foothills of Aeolis Mons (Mount Sharp) on Mars. It is located at . The NASA Mars Science Laboratory mission landed the ''Curiosity'' rover on Aeolis Palus in Aug ...

, between

Peace Vallis Peace Vallis is an ancient stream valley on the northern rim of Gale Crater on the planet Mars. It is notable for its associated alluvial fan which lies near the Mars Science Laboratory ''Curiosity'' landing site (Bradbury Landing). The valley ...

and Aeolis Mons ("Mount Sharp"), in Gale crater on the planet Mars. PIA16157-MarsCuriosityRover-GoulburnLinkHottah-20120927

The outcrop was encountered by the ''Curiosity'' rover on the way from Bradbury Landing to Glenelg Intrigue on September 14, 2012 (the 39th

sol Sol or SOL may refer to: Astronomy * The Sun Currency * SOL Project, a currency project in France * French sol, or sou * Argentine sol * Bolivian sol, the currency of Bolivia from 1827 to 1864 * Peruvian sol, introduced in 1991 * Peruvian sol ( ...

of the mission), and was named after

Hottah Lake Hottah Lake is the sixth largest lake in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Plane crash On 8 November 1972, a medical evacuation aircraft piloted by Marten Hartwell crashed on a hillside near the lake. Hartwell broke both legs while the nurse, Ju ...

, the sixth largest lake in the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

, Canada. The "approximate" site coordinates are: . The outcrop is a well-sorted

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

conglomerate Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to: * Conglomerate (company) * Conglomerate (geology) * Conglomerate (mathematics) In popular culture: * The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes ** Co ...

, containing well-rounded, smooth, abraded pebbles. Occasional pebbles up to a few centimeters across are embedded in amongst a

matrix Matrix most commonly refers to: * ''The Matrix'' (franchise), an American media franchise ** ''The Matrix'', a 1999 science-fiction action film ** "The Matrix", a fictional setting, a virtual reality environment, within ''The Matrix'' (franchis ...

of finer rounded particles, up to a centimeter across. It has been interpreted as a

fluvial In geography and geology, fluvial processes are associated with rivers and streams and the deposits and landforms created by them. When the stream or rivers are associated with glaciers, ice sheets, or ice caps, the term glaciofluvial or fluviog ...

sediment, deposited by a vigorously flowing stream, probably between ankle and waist deep. This stream is part of an ancient alluvial fan, which descends from the steep terrain at the rim of Gale crater across its floor. PIA16156-Mars Curiosity Rover-Water-AncientStreambed

PIA16156-Mars Curiosity Rover-Water-AncientStreambed

References

External links

''Curiosity'' rover - Official SiteNASA - Mars Exploration Program

Volcanic rock classification

Video (04:32) - Evidence: Water "Vigorously" Flowed On Mars - September, 2012
{{Portal bar, Solar System Aeolis quadrangle Mars Science Laboratory Rocks on Mars

See also

References

External links