Pyramid shaped rock found on Mars by NASA rover Curiosity

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity found an unusual pyramid-shaped rock en route to an area known as Glenelg, where researchers expect to find a combination of three different types of geological terrain.

The rock is pictured about 2.5m in front of the rover and is about 25cm tall and 40cm wide. It will be tested by the robot, which is has been on the move for the past six days travelling between 22 meters to 37 meters daily.

The pyramid-shaped rock, expected to be a lump of Martian basalt, has been named "Jake Matijevic" after the surface operations systems chief engineer for Mars Science Laboratory and the project's Curiosity rover tragically died just after the vehicle touched down on August 6. The 64-year-old was a leading engineer for all of the previous NASA Mars rovers - Sojourner, Spirit and Opportunity.