According to David Bish, a researcher with Indiana University, the dirt is similar to the "weathered soils on the flanks of Mauna Kea in Hawaii,” Space.com reported.

In scientific terms, the soil is mineralogically similar to basaltic materials, with large amounts of feldspar, pyroxene and olivine, Reuters reported. About half the soil is non-crystalline material, such as volcanic glass.

“The mineralogy of Mars’ soil has been a source of conjecture until now," Curiosity scientist David Vaniman of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Ariz., said, according to Reuters. "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.”

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