Why it matters

Gale shows how a crater can become an archive of sediments, water, and climate.

What happenedA Martian crater with Mount Sharp at its center, transformed into a laboratory by the Curiosity mission.
Why it mattersGale shows how a crater can become an archive of sediments, water, and climate.
How scientists knowNASA Image and Video Library

Measurements and uncertainty

Diámetro154 km
Depthnot listed
Agemore than 3.5 billion years
EstadoConfirmado
Coordinates5.400° S / 137.800° E
Record levelextended

Extended record: core parameters have an editorial baseline, while age, depth, and preservation still require primary-source review.

Perfil científico

Layers in the central mound and floor materials record long histories of sedimentation, aeolian reworking, and possible watery conditions.

Data provenanceNASA Image and Video Library

Galería de reconstrucción

Más lecturas visuales del cráter

Si la imagen verificada no basta, la ficha recibe una reconstrucción científica: no fantasía en lugar de dato, sino una hipótesis visual separada de las fuentes.

Paleta del mundoMartian rust, dust, and ochre
Orbital view of Gale crater and its central mound.
Vista visual actualPlaca base: fuente, material orbital o lámina editorial donde empieza la lectura visual.
Reverse reconstructionmoving from the present trace back to the impact event
Chronological inversionreading the object from future state back through earlier layers
The present as an archive of the futuretreating today's profile as evidence for future analysis

Visual reconstruction

Reverse reconstruction → Chronological inversion → Bidirectional analysis → The present as an archive of the future

Cada ficha necesita una vista previa visual: una imagen existente, una fuente tratada estéticamente o una reconstrucción científica.

Reverse reconstructionmoving from the present trace back to the impact event
Chronological inversionreading the object from future state back through earlier layers
Bidirectional analysischecking past-to-present and present-to-past interpretations
The present as an archive of the futuretreating today's profile as evidence for future analysis

Historia de investigación

Since 2012, Curiosity has made Gale one of the most intensively studied places on Mars.

Fuentes

CSVJSONGale. Crater.world record. Last reviewed 2026-05-08.
Last reviewed
2026-05-08
Source baseline
NASA Image and Video Library
Uncertainty note
Extended record: core parameters have an editorial baseline, while age, depth, and preservation still require primary-source review.
NASA Image and Video LibraryNASA

Education mode

Datos

  • Its center contains Aeolis Mons, known as Mount Sharp.
  • Curiosity studies layers that help reconstruct ancient environments.
Glossaryejecta, impact melt, breccia, central peak, erosion
Classroom questionWhich evidence separates an impact crater from a volcanic caldera?
CompareJezero