Aeolis Mons

Mount Sharp, officially Aeolis Mons (), is a mountain on Mars. It forms the central peak within Gale crater and is located around , rising high from the valley floor. Its ID in the United States Geological Survey's Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature is 15000.Aeolis Mons
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On August 6, 2012, ''Curiosity'' (the Mars Science Laboratory rover) landed in "Yellowknife" ''Quad 51'' of Aeolis Palus, next to the mountain. NASA named the landing site Bradbury Landing on August 22, 2012. Aeolis Mons is a primary goal for scientific study. On June 5, 2013, NASA announced that ''Curiosity'' would begin an journey from the Glenelg area to the base of Aeolis Mons. On November 13, 2013, NASA announced that an entryway the rover would traverse on its way to Aeolis Mons was to be named "Murray Buttes", in honor of planetary scientist Bruce C. Murray (1931–2013). The trip was expected to take about a year and would include stops along the way to study the local terrain.

On September 11, 2014, NASA announced that ''Curiosity'' had reached Aeolis Mons, the rover mission's long-term prime destination. Possible recurrent slope lineae, wet brine flows, were reported on Mount Sharp near ''Curiosity'' in 2015. In June 2017, NASA reported that an ancient striated lake had existed in Gale crater that could have been favorable for microbial life.

Formation

The mountain appears to be an enormous mound of eroded sedimentary layers sitting on the central peak of Gale. It rises above the northern crater floor and above the southern crater floor, higher than the southern crater rim. The sediments may have been laid down over an interval of 2 billion years,
and may have once completely filled the crater. Some of the lower sediment layers may have originally been deposited on a lake bed, while observations of possibly cross-bedded strata in the upper mound suggest aeolian processes.
However, this issue is debated,
and the origin of the lower layers remains unclear. If katabatic wind deposition played the predominant role in the emplacement of the sediments, as suggested by reported 3 degree radial slopes of the mound's layers, erosion would have come into play largely to place an upper limit on the mound's growth.

On December 8, 2014, a panel of NASA scientists discussed
archive 62:03)
the latest observations of ''Curiosity'' about how water may have helped shape the landscape of Mars, including Aeolis Mons, and had a climate long ago that could have produced long-lasting lakes at many Martian locations.

On October 8, 2015, NASA confirmed that lakes and streams existed in Gale crater 3.3 - 3.8 billion years ago delivering sediments to build up the lower layers of Mount Sharp.

On February 1, 2019, NASA scientists reported that ''Curiosity'' had determined, for the first time, the density of Mount Sharp in Gale crater, thereby establishing a clearer understanding of how the mountain was formed.

Size comparisons

Aeolis Mons is high, about the same height as Mons Huygens, the tallest lunar mountain, and taller than Mons Hadley visited by Apollo 15. The tallest mountain known in the Solar System is in Rheasilvia crater on the asteroid Vesta, which contains a central mound that rises high; Olympus Mons on Mars is nearly the same height, at high.

In comparison, Mount Everest rises to altitude above sea level (asl), but is only (base-to-peak) (btp).''Mount Everest'' (1:50,000 scale map), prepared under the direction of Bradford Washburn for the Boston Museum of Science, the Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research, and the National Geographic Society, 1991, Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro is about altitude above sea level to the Uhuru peak; also 4.6 km base-to-peak. America's Denali, also known as ''Mount McKinley'', has a base-to-peak of .
The Franco-Italian '' Mont Blanc/Monte Bianco'' is in altitude above sea level, Mount Fuji, which overlooks Tokyo, Japan, is about altitude. Compared to the Andes, Aeolis Mons would rank outside the hundred tallest peaks, being roughly the same height as Argentina's Cerro Pajonal; the peak is higher than any above sea level in Oceania, but base-to peak it is considerably shorter than Hawaii's Mauna Kea and its neighbors.

Name

Discovered in the 1970s, the mountain remained unnamed for several decades. When Gale crater became a candidate landing site, the mountain was given various labels e.g. in 2010 a NASA photo caption called it "Gale crater mound". In March 2012, NASA unofficially named it "Mount Sharp", after American geologist Robert P. Sharp.

Since 1919 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has been the official body responsible for planetary nomenclature. Under its long-established rules for naming features on Mars, mountains are named after the classical albedo feature in which they are located, not after people. In May 2012 the IAU officially named the mountain Aeolis Mons after the Aeolis albedo feature. It also gave the name Aeolis Palus to the plain located on the crater floor between the northern wall of Gale and the northern foothills of the mountain.
The IAU's choice of name is supported by the United States Geological Survey. Martian craters are named after deceased scientists, so in recognition of NASA and Sharp, at the same time the IAU named " Robert Sharp", a large crater ( diameter) located about west of Gale.

NASA and the European Space Agency continue to refer to the mountain as "Mount Sharp" in press conferences and press releases. This is similar to their use of other informal names, such as the Columbia Hills near one of the Mars Exploration Rover landing sites.

In August 2012, the magazine ''Sky & Telescope'' ran an article explaining the rationale of the two names and held an informal poll to determine which one was preferred by their readers. Over 2700 people voted, with Aeolis Mons winning by 57% to Mount Sharp's 43%.

Spacecraft exploration

On December 16, 2014, NASA reported detecting, based on measurements by the ''Curiosity'' rover, an unusual increase, then decrease, in the amounts of methane in the atmosphere of the planet Mars; as well as, detecting Martian organic chemicals in powder drilled from a rock by the rover. Also, based on deuterium to hydrogen ratio studies, much of the water at Gale Crater on Mars was found to have been lost during ancient times, before the lakebed in the crater was formed; afterwards, large amounts of water continued to be lost.

On June 1, 2017, NASA reported that the ''Curiosity'' rover provided evidence of an ancient lake in Gale crater on Mars that could have been favorable for microbial life; the ancient lake was stratified, with shallows rich in oxidants and depths poor in oxidants; and, the ancient lake provided many different types of microbe-friendly environments at the same time. NASA further reported that the ''Curiosity'' rover will continue to explore higher and younger layers of Mount Sharp in order to determine how the lake environment in ancient times on Mars became the drier environment in more modern times.

On August 5, 2017, NASA celebrated the fifth anniversary of the ''Curiosity'' landing, and related exploratory accomplishments, on the planet Mars. (Videos
''Curiosity'' First Five Years (02:07)''Curiosity'' POV: Five Years Driving (05:49)''Curiosity'' Discoveries About Gale Crater (02:54)

On April 11, 2019, NASA announced that ''Curiosity'' had drilled into, and closely studied, a " clay-bearing unit" which, according to the rover Project Manager, is a "major milestone" in ''Curiosity'' journey up Mount Sharp.

In January 2023, ''Curiosity'' viewed and studied the "Cacao" meteorite.

In August 2023, ''Curiosity'' explored the upper Gediz Vallis Ridge. A panoramic view of the ridge is here, and a 3D rendered view is here.

''Curiosity'' mission

As of , , ''Curiosity'' has been on the planet Mars for sols ( total days) since landing on August 6, 2012. Since September 11, 2014, ''Curiosity'' has been
exploring
the slopes of Mount Sharp, where more information about the history of Mars is expected to be found. As of January 26, 2021, the rover has traveled over and climbed over in elevation to, and around, the mountain base since landing at "Bradbury Landing" in August 2012.

Gallery

Image:PIA16064-Mars Curiosity Rover Treasure Map.jpg, Overview map - blue oval marks "Base of Aeolis Mons" (August 17, 2012).
Image:MarsCuriosityRover-TraverseMap-Sol-0746-20140911.jpg, Traverse map - route from Landing to slopes on Aeolis Mons (September 11, 2014).
Image:PIA18475-MarsCuriosityRover--HIRISE-TraverseMap-PahrumpHills-20140911.jpg, Close-up Map - new route (yellow) - Aeolis Mons slopes (September 11, 2014).
Image:PIA18780-MarsCuriosityRover-HIRISE-PlannedRouteMap-PahrumpHills-MountSharp-20140911.jpg, Close-up map - new route (yellow) - Aeolis Mons slopes (September 11, 2014).
Image:PIA18474-MarsCuriosityRover-GaleCrater-TopographicMap-PahrumpHills-20140911.jpg, Close-up map - Aeolis Mons slopes - with few craters (bottom) (September 11, 2014).
Image:PIA18785-MarsCuriosityRover-HIRISE-MurrayRidge-Transition-20140911.jpg, Geology map - Aeolis Mons slopes (September 11, 2014).
Image:PIA18781-MarsCuriosityRover-GeologyMap-LowerMountSharp-20140911.jpg, Geology map - Aeolis Mons slopes (September 11, 2014).
Image:PIA17587-MarsCuriosityRover-MurrayButtes-20131113.jpg, "Murray Buttes" knobs - Aeolis Mons slopes (November 13, 2013).
Image:PIA18783-MarsCuriosityRover-HIRISE-MurrayButtesMesa-20140911.jpg, "Murray Buttes" mesa - Aeolis Mons slopes (September 11, 2014).
Image:PIA18784-MarsCuriosityRover-HIRISE-MurrayRidgeFormation-20140911.jpg, "Murray Formation" bands - Aeolis Mons slopes (September 11, 2014).
Image:Pia19039 some key places in a survey of the "Pahrump Hills" .jpg, "Pahrump Hills" - Notable places at base of Aeolis Mons (Autumn, 2014).
Image:PIA18883-MarsCuriosityRover-PahrumpHills-Sand-20141113.jpg, "Pahrump Hills" sand - viewed by ''Curiosity'' (November 13, 2014).
Image:PIA18882-MarsCuriosityRover-PahrumpHillsSand-WheelTrack-20141107.tif, "Pahrump Hills" sand - ''Curiosity'' tracks (November 7, 2014).
Image:PIA18610-MarsCuriosityRover-PahrumpHillsOutcrop-Mahli-Sol758-20140923.jpg, " Pahrump Hills" rock outcrop on Mars – viewed by ''Curiosity'' (September 23, 2014).
Image:PIA18609 - First Sampling Hole in Mount Sharp .jpg, "Confidence Hills" rock on Mars - ''Curiosity'' 1st target at Aeolis Mons (September 24, 2014).
Image:PIA18881-MarsCuriosityRover-PahrumpHillsBedrock-20141109.tif, "Pahrump Hills" bedrock on Mars - viewed by ''Curiosity'' (November 9, 2014).
Image:PIA18880-MarsCuriosityRover-PinkCliffs-20141007.jpg, "Pink Cliffs" rock outcrop on Mars - viewed by ''Curiosity'' (October 7, 2014).
Image:PIA19066-MarsCuriosityRover-AlexanderHillsRock-20141123-Fig1.jpg, "Alexander Hills" bedrock on Mars - viewed by ''Curiosity'' (November 23, 2014).
Image:PIA19080-MarsRoverCuriosity-AncientGaleLake-Simulated-20141208.jpg, Ancient Lake fills Gale Crater on Mars (simulated view).
Image:100 m of the Murray formation.jpg, Murray formation lakebeds with aeolian(?) erosional fins (October 9, 2016)
Image:PIA23138-MarsCuriosityRover-Drills-ClayBearingUnit-20190406.gif, ''Curiosity'' drilled into a " clay-bearing unit". (April 11, 2019)


Image:PIA19674-Mars-GaleCrater-SurfaceMaterials-20150619.jpg, Gale crater - surface materials (false colors; THEMIS; 2001 Mars Odyssey).
Image:Topographic Map of Gale Crater.jpg, Gale crater with Aeolis Mons rising from the center. ''Curiosity's'' landing area (marked) is in Aeolis Palus.
Image:Curiosity Cradled by Gale Crater.jpg, Aeolis Mons rises from the middle of Gale - Green dot marks ''Curiosity's'' landing site in Aeolis Palus.
Image:Mars Science Laboratory landing ellipse reduced.jpg, Gale crater with ''Curiosity's'' landing area within Aeolis Palus noted - north is down.
Image:Moundshigh.jpg, Aeolis Mons may have formed from the erosion of sediment layers that once filled Gale.
Image:PIA16064-Mars Curiosity Rover Treasure Map.jpg, ''Curiosity's'' landing site (green dot) - blue dot marks '' Glenelg Intrigue'' - blue spot marks the base of Mount Sharp - a planned area of study.
Image:Curiosity Rover Landing Site - Quadmapping Yellowknife.jpg, ''Curiosity's'' landing site - " Quad Map" includes "Yellowknife" ''Quad 51'' of Aeolis Palus in Gale.
Image:Mars Curiosity Rover - Yellowknife Landing Site.jpg, ''Curiosity's'' landing site - "Yellowknife" ''Quad 51'' (1-mi-by-1-mi) of Aeolis Palus in Gale.
Image:PIA15696-HiRISE-MSL-Sol11 2 -br2.jpg, MSL debris field viewed by HiRISE on August 17, 2012 - parachute is from ''Curiosity''.Mars Science Laboratory: Multimedia-Images
/ref> (3-D
rover
&
parachute

Image:PIA16800-MarsCuriosityRover-MtSharp-ColorVersions-20120823.jpg, Comparison of color versions (raw, natural, white balance) of Aeolis Mons (August 23, 2012).
Image:PIA16068 - Mars Curiosity Rover - Aeolis Mons - 20120817.jpg, Aeolis Mons as viewed by ''Curiosity'' (August 8, 2012) ( white balanced image).
Image:PIA16105 malin04ano-br2.jpg, Layers at the base of Aeolis Mons - dark rock in inset is same size as ''Curiosity'' ( white balanced image).
Image:PIA16134-Mars Curiosity Rover Wheels.jpg, ''Curiosity's'' wheels - Aeolis Mons is in the background (MAHLI, September 9, 2012).
Image:PIA17085-MarsCuriosityRover-TraverseMap-Sol351-20130801.jpg, First-Year and First-Mil
Traverse Map
of the ''Curiosity'' rover on Mars (August 1, 2013)
3-D
.

See also

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References

Further reading

*Jürgen Blunck – ''Mars and its Satellites, A Detailed Commentary on the Nomenclature'', 2nd edition. 1982.

External links

Google Mars scrollable map
– centered on Aeolis Mons.

Aeolis Mons – ''Curiosity'' Rover "StreetView" (Sol 2 – 08/08/2012) – NASA/JPL – 360° Panorama

Aeolis Mons – ''Curiosity'' Rover Mission Summary – Video (02:37)

Aeolis Mons – HiRise
(South side of mountain)

Aeolis Mons – "Mount Sharp" Oblique (19,663px × 1,452px)


(Zoomable)
small


Aeolis Mons – Gale crater – image/HRSCview


Aeolis Mons – HRSCview
(oblique view looking east)

Aeolis Mons – 7,703px × 2,253px black & white panorama


* Images �
PIA16105PIA16104Color view
* High-resolution overflight videos
#1#2#3#4
(based on HiRISE data) of the lower slopes of Mt. Sharp by Seán Doran (se
album
for more)
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Aeolis quadrangle
Mountains on Mars
Gale (crater)
Mars Science Laboratory