Curiosity rover nears possible erosional supersurface on Mount Sharp

NASA’s Curiosity rover has reached a layer on Mount Sharp that may contain an erosional supersurface, a feature that could mark a break in the Martian rock record. The rover spent the week of July 24, 2026, approaching this unusual section, which scientists had identified from orbital data and images of nearby buttes. An erosional supersurface is a geologic term for places where wind or water stripped away sediment layers on a regional scale before newer layers were deposited, creating a gap in the geological timeline. Curiosity’s science team, led by Deputy Project Scientist Abigail Fraeman of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is now poised to study the feature up close with the rover’s instruments. The rover captured an image on July 23, 2026—Sol 4963 of the mission—showing light-colored rocks beneath darker ones, a possible sign of such a surface. Over two planning cycles, Curiosity backed away to gain a broad view, then collected two large Mastcam mosaics across the entire layer on July 27, 2026. ChemCam provided long-distance RMI images of the most interesting areas, while MAHLI and APXS analyzed a target named “Monte Darwin” and ChemCam LIBS examined “Patacamaya,” “Tarucachi,” and “Mojoncasa.” A drive on July 27 brought the rover closer, and the plan for July 31, 2026, aimed to position it at the base of the supersurface. The team used recent images to select a scientifically valuable crossing point that also avoids sandy and steep terrain. Curiosity is expected to traverse the feature in the coming week, offering a geologist’s-eye view of its composition and centimeter-scale geometry.