Tintina (rock)

Tintina Rock

Close-up of "Tintina" rock – broken exposed area is associated with strong signals of mineral hydration – as viewed by the Curiosity rover (January 19, 2013).[1][2]
Feature type Rock
Coordinates 4°35′S 137°26′E / 4.59°S 137.44°E / -4.59; 137.44Coordinates: 4°35′S 137°26′E / 4.59°S 137.44°E / -4.59; 137.44

Tintina is a rock on the surface of Aeolis Palus, between Peace Vallis and Aeolis Mons (Mount Sharp), in Gale crater on the planet Mars. The approximate site coordinates are: 4°35′S 137°26′E / 4.59°S 137.44°E / -4.59; 137.44.

The rock was encountered by the Curiosity rover on the way from Bradbury Landing to Glenelg Intrique in January 2013.[1][2] The rover ran over the rock and broke it. A white surface area was revealed. When the broken white area was analyzed with the rover's MastCam, strong signals of mineral hydration, as indicated by a ratio of near infrared reflectance intensities, were found. According to mission scientists, the mineral hydration signals were consistent with hydrated calcium sulfate[1][2] and a "watery past" on Mars.[3]

Tintina Rock on Mars
Broken area – Context View.
Broken area shows strong signals of mineral hydration (noted in red)
Viewed by the Curiosity Rover (January 19, 2013).

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aeolis Palus, Gale Crater and Rocks on Mars.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Webster, Guy; Brown, Dwayne (March 18, 2013). "Curiosity Mars Rover Sees Trend In Water Presence". NASA. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Rincon, Paul (March 19, 2013). "Curiosity breaks rock to reveal dazzling white interior". BBC. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  3. ↑ Staff (March 20, 2013). "Red planet coughs up a white rock, and scientists freak out". MSN. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
Notable rocks on Mars
Adirondack
(Spirit)		 Barnacle Bill
(Sojourner)		 Bathurst Inlet
(Curiosity)		 Big Joe*
(Viking)		 Block Island
(Opportunity) M		 Bounce
(Opportunity)		 Coronation
(Curiosity)		 El Capitan
(Opportunity)
Esperance*
(Opportunity)		 Goulburn
(Curiosity)		 Heat Shield
(Opportunity) M		 Home Plate
(Spirit)		 Hottah
(Curiosity)		 Jake Matijevic
(Curiosity)		 Last Chance
(Opportunity)		 Link
(Curiosity)
Mackinac Island
(Opportunity) M		 Mimi*
(Spirit)		 Oileán Ruaidh
(Opportunity) M		 Pot of Gold
(Spirit)		 Rocknest 3
(Curiosity)		 Shelter Island
(Opportunity) M		 Tintina
(Curiosity)		 Yogi
(Sojourner)
Notes: * = linked article is about the mission that encountered this rock; M = Meteorite - ()
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 3/1/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.