Curiosity captures panorama of mysterious Martian cliffs

NASA's Curiosity rover sent back a six-frame Mastcam panorama taken on Aug. 11, its 4,982nd sol on Mars. It shows yardangs stretching about 16 km across the northwestern slope of 5-km Mount Sharp, whose odd color and tilted layers remain unexplained. Scientists aim to reach their base in 2027.

• Panorama combines six Mastcam frames taken Aug. 11 on sol 4,982
• Yardangs span roughly 16 km on northwestern Mount Sharp, 5 km tall
• Curiosity has climbed 1 km, more than any other Mars rover
• Researchers suggest the yardang layer may be ancient volcanic ash