Curiosity Captures New Yardang Panorama

Curiosity’s latest panorama shows a band of wind‑carved cliffs, called yardangs, stretching about 10 miles (16 km) across the northwestern shoulder of Mount Sharp. The image was taken on Aug. 11, 2026, and highlights a layer that looks out of place—its color, tilt, and surface texture differ from the surrounding rock.

Mission scientists are intrigued by this odd layer. Curiosity project scientist Ashwin Vasavada said the layer’s appearance makes it especially exciting to study up close, and one possibility is that it was formed from ash deposited by ancient volcanic eruptions.

Scientists explore the unusual layer

Each layer on Mount Sharp records a different period in Mars’ history, from times when lakes and streams covered the region to when the water dried, leaving salty minerals behind. When new material stopped accumulating on the mountain, wind may have stripped away softer material, creating the yardangs that are now visible.

The panorama consists of six shots stitched together after being sent to Earth. Curiosity’s Mastcam captured the images at 8:30 a.m. local Mars time on Aug. 11, the rover’s 4,982nd Martian day (sol). Unlike most Mastcam imagery, the panorama was processed without white balancing, preserving the early‑morning light that gives the cliffs a blue‑tinged foreground.

Curiosity has recently gained 0.6 miles (1 km) in elevation, the most ever climbed on Mars. In the second year of its fifth extended mission, the rover will drive through layers rich in sulfates and carbonates before reaching the base of the yardangs in 2027, where its robotic arm will collect samples and data to investigate how these formations came to be.