NASA has shown off the first high-resolution, colour portrait images taken by the Mars rover, Curiosity.

They detail a mound of layered rock where scientists plan to focus their search for the chemical ingredients of life on the Red Planet.

The stunning images reveal distinct tiers near the base of the 5km-high mountain that rises from the floor of the ancient impact basin known as Gale Crater.

Curiosity landed there on 6 August to begin its two-year mission.

Scientists estimate it will be a year before the six-wheeled, nuclear-powered rover physically reaches the layers of interest at the foot of the mountain 10km away from the landing site.

From earlier orbital imagery, the layers appear to contain clays and other hydrated minerals that form in the presence of water.

Previous missions to Mars have uncovered strong evidence for vast amounts of water flowing over its surface in the past.

Curiosity was dispatched to hunt for organic materials and other chemistry thought necessary for microbial life.

The $2.5bn project is the first to bring all the tools of a state-of-the-art geochemistry laboratory to the surface of a distant planet.

But the latest images from Curiosity, taken at a distance from its primary target of exploration, already have given scientists a new view of the formation's structure.

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NASA shows off first colour images from Mars