Mars color images

The first of many, hopefully:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/rove...es-1-6-04.html

Many of the rocks in the image appear to have the rounded shape produced on
Earth by water erosion. This is speculation on my part, but it is the
primary reason why the site was selected, per the NASA site:

"Primary among the mission's scientific goals is to search for and
characterize a wide range of rocks and soils that hold clues to past water
activity on Mars. The spacecraft are targeted to sites on opposite sides of
Mars that appear to have been affected by liquid water in the past. The
landing sites are at Gusev Crater, a possible former lake in a giant impact
crater, and Meridiani Planum, where mineral deposits (hematite) suggest Mars
had a wet past."

Question: must the rounding be the result of flowing water? A lake bed would
not seem to be the place for this type of erosion, unless the rocks were in
place at some other time before or after the lake formed.

Comments?

Bob


"Paul Neave" wrote in message
...
The first of many, hopefully:


http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/rove...es-1-6-04.html

Bob Schmall wrote:
Comments?

Erosion by blown sand can look a lot like water erosion (on Earth,
anyway -- I have no idea how much of what is applicable to geology is
applicable to areology).

Best,
Stephen

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What I want to know is what are those scuff marks crossing image
PIA04995.jpg from left to right starting at the far side of the
large dust pool at upper right? In places it looks like parallel
scratches crossing rocks and sand, in other places like tire skid marks.

The only thing I can think of is that these marks were made
during the bouncing-beach-ball phase of the landing, or by
some part of the detached parachute mechanism dragging across
there.

On further examination I think it is an artifact from
pasting together two smaller images and having the
alignment off a bit.

"pd" wrote in message
...
On further examination I think it is an artifact from
pasting together two smaller images and having the
alignment off a bit.


Just a point. I've found the image can be made to look better still if you
run the sharpen filter on it. Most imaging apps have this facility. Give it
a go.

Martin

"Martin" wrote in message
...

"pd" wrote in message
...
On further examination I think it is an artifact from
pasting together two smaller images and having the
alignment off a bit.


Just a point. I've found the image can be made to look better still if you
run the sharpen filter on it. Most imaging apps have this facility. Give
it
a go.

Martin

As does bringing up the brightness, that reveals a bit more detail.

Martin

Anyone else taken a good close look at that rock that appears on the left
hand side of the frame, about half way up and about and about a tenth of the
way in? It looks like its got a couple of deep recesses or even holes in it.

Martin

On Tue, 6 Jan 2004 22:03:13 -0000, "Martin"
wrote:

Anyone else taken a good close look at that rock that appears on the left
hand side of the frame, about half way up and about and about a tenth of the
way in? It looks like its got a couple of deep recesses or even holes in it.

Martin


It looks like part of a skull with a couple of eyeball sockets in
it!!!!! I think we found death on Mars!!!!

scotty

"Martin" wrote in message
...
Anyone else taken a good close look at that rock that appears on the left
hand side of the frame, about half way up and about and about a tenth of
the
way in? It looks like its got a couple of deep recesses or even holes in
it.

Martin

Similar to rocks found in large bodies of water, where a small stone has
been caused to "bore" a hole into the rock it is "sat" on by the action of
water. The stone becomes trapped by the small depression it has made and
continues to deepen it. At least that's my understanding of it. I was
terrible at GeoSci. I dare say the same could be caused by Martian sand
storms, as powerful as they are.

Does look like a skull though!

Cheers,
Subz