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Bruce Murray Space Image Library

The varying colors of Curiosity's drill holes

The varying colors of Curiosity's drill holes
The varying colors of Curiosity's drill holes Whenever Curiosity drills into rocks, the tailings (powder left behind by the drill) are often a different color than the surface of the rock. The different colors provide a hint of the rock's composition: redder tailings contain more oxidized iron, bluer tailings more reduced iron. Here, nine different photos of tailings piles from seven drill sites have are shown with their saturation increased and have been sorted into a rainbow of colors. NASA / JPL / MSSS / Gerald Eichstädt