The “Garden City” in Mars

Curiosity examined bright and dark mineral veins at a site called "Garden City," where some veins protrude as high as two finger widths above the eroding bedrock in which they formed.

     The diverse composition of the crisscrossing veins points to multiple episodes of water moving through fractures in the bedrock when it was buried. During some wet periods, water carried different dissolved substances than during other wet periods. When conditions dried, fluids left clues behind that scientists are now analyzing for insights into how ancient environmental conditions changed over time.

     Thanks to NASA's Curiosity rover, scientists now have a better understanding about a site with the most chemically diverse mineral veins.

Source: http://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/upgrade-helps-nasa-study-mineral-veins-on-mars

Chemistry Group: Rene Piedra and Ailet Reyes