Curiosity Sol 4588: Exploring Ridges and Troughs on Mars

Written by Lucy Thompson, APXS Collaborator and Senior Research Scientist at the University of New Brunswick, Canada
Earth Planning Date: Wednesday, July 2, 2025

The Curiosity rover Sol 4588 exploration continues across the unique boxwork terrain of Gale Crater. This region features a mixture of resistant ridges and bedrock patches, alongside rubbly zones that form lower-relief polygonal and trough-like structures. After another successful drive, Curiosity arrived at a trough-like area to begin today’s observations.

The science team seeks to understand the varying erosional and geomorphological patterns across these features. Do the resistant ridges differ in composition or texture from the trough regions? Could these harder rock formations provide insight into what lies within the larger boxwork structures ahead?

Curiosity’s team selected a brushing target named “Guapay”, which presents a large enough surface for safe cleaning. Following brushing, APXS and MAHLI will analyze the rock’s composition and texture. Additionally, ChemCam will study a nearby target, “Taltal”, while Mastcam will document both areas with high-resolution images.

Further afield, Curiosity will image “Volcan Pena Blanca”, a resistant ridge we aim to explore next. ChemCam will also use its long-distance imaging to examine “Mishe Mokwa”, a butte that likely reveals layers of rock along our future path up Mount Sharp.

After the next drive, MARDI will capture images beneath the rover’s wheels. Atmospheric observations follow, with Mastcam measuring tau (dust content) and Navcam recording a zenith movie. Standard environmental monitoring by DAN, RAD, and REMS will round out the day’s plan.

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