Curiosity discovers soil on Mars is like sand in Hawaii
Curiosity X-rays scoops of dirt to reveal crystals similar to those found in volcanic areas on earth
In the first inventory of minerals on another planet, Nasa's Mars rover Curiosity found soil that bears a striking resemblance to weathered, volcanic sand in Hawaii, scientists said.
The rover employs an X-ray imager to reveal the atomic structures of crystals in the Martian soil, the first time the technology has been used to analyse soil beyond earth.
"This was a 22-year journey and a magical moment," said the US space agency's David Blake, lead scientist for the rover's mineralogical instrument.
Curiosity found the Martian sand grains have crystals similar to basaltic soils found in volcanic regions on earth, like Hawaii.
Scientists plan to use the information about Mars' minerals to figure out if the planet most like earth in the solar system could have supported and preserved microbial life.
"The mineralogy of Mars' soil has been a source of conjecture until now," said Curiosity scientist David Vaniman of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona. "This interest isn't just academic. Soils on planets' surfaces are a reflection of surface exposure processes and history, with information on present and past climates."