Mars - spherule patterning and soil micro texturing

March 4, 2004

It's difficult to deny it any more, inside the crater where wind
erosion is minimized, the spherule patterns from within the outcrop
are transposed onto the soil, and the soil is highly microtextured by
ordered threads and grains, which appear as shadows of the outcrop
pebbles, rocks, blocks and presumably spherules from which they
eroded, decayed or decomposed, over several orders of magnitude.

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...8P2953M2M1.JPG

Thomas Lee Elifritz
http://elifritz.members.atlantic.net

March 5, 2004

Go back to the beginning on Sol 10 :

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...4P2933M2M1.JPG

Fiddle with your contrast, let your eyes do their work, the micro
scale threaded grains and structuring of these soils is *phenomenal*.
I think I am seeing the skeletons of the little pebbles and outcrop
fragments imprinted into the soil, relatively undisturbed by the wind.

Thomas Lee Elifritz
http://elifritz.members.atlantic.net

(Thomas Lee Elifritz) wrote in message :

March 4, 2004

It's difficult to deny it any more, inside the crater where wind
erosion is minimized, the spherule patterns from within the outcrop
are transposed onto the soil, and the soil is highly microtextured by
ordered threads and grains, which appear as shadows of the outcrop
pebbles, rocks, blocks and presumably spherules from which they
eroded, decayed or decomposed, over several orders of magnitude.

"Thomas Lee Elifritz" wrote in message
om...
March 5, 2004

Go back to the beginning on Sol 10 :


http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...4P2933M2M1.JPG

Fiddle with your contrast, let your eyes do their work, the micro
scale threaded grains and structuring of these soils is *phenomenal*.
I think I am seeing the skeletons of the little pebbles and outcrop
fragments imprinted into the soil, relatively undisturbed by the wind.

A test would be to have two people draw in the lines of what they think are
threads or whatever and see if they match.

Then try the same test with random patches of sand.

Such as:

http://www21.tok2.com/home/modeler21/sozai/sand.jpg

If you see lines there then it's in the head, or at best a random fluke. I
think I see a few.

Of course if the feature was a little less subtle, that would be different:
http://tinyurl.com/2u43r

Joe

March 5, 2004

Joe Knapp wrote:

A test would be to have two people draw in the lines of what they think are
threads or whatever and see if they match.

There is no need for that, the micro patterning is very real. I would be
nice to have access to the bitmaps and photographs, though.

Then try the same test with random patches of sand.

What I find remarkable is that the wind can move the 'bunny', but not
disturb the patterns. This is my take. The threaded grain patterns are
actual outlines of the pebbles and fragments eroded in situ by UV light
(or whatever, even water rising from above and flooding the area
occasionally) and the threads are fossilized or mineralized microbially
produced 'filaments' that cement the outcrop together. Thus the outcrop
decomposition, decay or erosion process may be occurring on timescales
shorter than the action of the wind erosion. The sub micron 'fines' are
coagulated or granularized, and only manifest themselves under pressure,
such as from the rover wheels.

Thomas Lee Elifritz
http://elifritz.members.atlantic.net

March 5, 2004

Ok, this is the real deal here. Look again at these original Sol 10
micrographs.

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...4P2933M2M1.JPG

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...4P2923M1M1.JPG

Whichever ones are the clearest, or look at any other clear soil
micrographs, I haven't had time to check them all.

What originally appeared to be pebble and outcrop fragments partially
covered by soil, are actually pebble and outcrop fragments decomposing
on the spot, in situ, and leaving the the traces of their bare
skelatons and their internal structures transposed onto the soil, the
soil micro patterning and micro texturing, the fibers and threaded
grains.

Whatever the 'glue' is cementing the concretions, at least some of it
seems to 'evaporate', decompose, decay or erode under the influence of
atmospheric chemistry amd/or solar irradiance.

This effectively give us a good window into the internal structure of
the so called 'concretions'. This is really interesting. NASA must
know a great deal more than they are saying.

Thomas Lee Elifritz
http://elifritz.members.atlantic.net

Joe Knapp wrote:

A test would be to have two people draw in the lines of what they think are
threads or whatever and see if they match.

There is no need for that, the micro patterning is very real. I would be
nice to have access to the bitmaps and photographs, though.

Then try the same test with random patches of sand.

What I find remarkable is that the wind can move the 'bunny', but not
disturb the patterns. This is my take. The threaded grain patterns are
actual outlines of the pebbles and fragments eroded in situ by UV light
(or whatever, even water rising from above and flooding the area
occasionally) and the threads are fossilized or mineralized microbially
produced 'filaments' that cement the outcrop together. Thus the outcrop
decomposition, decay or erosion process may be occurring on timescales
shorter than the action of the wind erosion. The sub micron 'fines' are
coagulated or granularized, and only manifest themselves under pressure,
such as from the rover wheels.

Thomas Lee Elifritz
http://elifritz.members.atlantic.net

March 5, 2004

I am reposting this as a new thread because this is so weird.

Ok, this is the real deal here. Look again at these original Sol 10
micrographs.

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...4P2933M2M1.JPG

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...4P2923M1M1.JPG

Whichever ones are the clearest, or look at any other clear soil
micrographs, I haven't had time to check them all.

What originally appeared to be pebble and outcrop fragments partially
covered by soil, are actually pebble and outcrop fragments decomposing
on the spot, in situ, and leaving the the traces of their bare skeletons
and their internal structures transposed onto the soil, the soil micro
patterning and micro texturing, the fibers and threaded grains.

Whatever the 'glue' is cementing the concretions, at least some of it
seems to 'evaporate', decompose, decay or erode under the influence of
atmospheric chemistry and/or solar irradiance.

This effectively give us a good window into the internal structure of
the so called 'concretions'. This is really interesting. NASA must know
a great deal more than they are saying.

Thomas Lee Elifritz
http://elifritz.members.atlantic.net

Joe Knapp wrote:

A test would be to have two people draw in the lines of what they
think are
threads or whatever and see if they match.

There is no need for that, the micro patterning is very real. I would be
nice to have access to the bitmaps and photographs, though.

Then try the same test with random patches of sand.

What I find remarkable is that the wind can move the 'bunny', but not
disturb the patterns. This is my take. The threaded grain patterns are
actual outlines of the pebbles and fragments eroded in situ by UV light
(or whatever, even water rising from above and flooding the area
occasionally) and the threads are fossilized or mineralized microbially
produced 'filaments' that cement the outcrop together. Thus the outcrop
decomposition, decay or erosion process may be occurring on timescales
shorter than the action of the wind erosion. The sub micron 'fines' are
coagulated or granularized, and only manifest themselves under pressure,
such as from the rover wheels.

Thomas Lee Elifritz
http://elifritz.members.atlantic.net

"Thomas Lee Elifritz" wrote in message
om...
March 5, 2004

Ok, this is the real deal here. Look again at these original Sol 10
micrographs.

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...4P2933M2M1.JPG

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...4P2923M1M1.JPG

Whichever ones are the clearest, or look at any other clear soil
micrographs, I haven't had time to check them all.

What originally appeared to be pebble and outcrop fragments partially
covered by soil, are actually pebble and outcrop fragments decomposing
on the spot, in situ, and leaving the the traces of their bare
skelatons and their internal structures transposed onto the soil, the
soil micro patterning and micro texturing, the fibers and threaded
grains.

Whatever the 'glue' is cementing the concretions, at least some of it
seems to 'evaporate', decompose, decay or erode under the influence of
atmospheric chemistry amd/or solar irradiance.

This effectively give us a good window into the internal structure of
the so called 'concretions'. This is really interesting. NASA must
know a great deal more than they are saying.

Thomas Lee Elifritz
http://elifritz.members.atlantic.net


Have you looked at the Spirit pics for such patterns?
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...0P2943M2M1.JPG

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...0P2938M2M1.JPG







Joe Knapp wrote:

A test would be to have two people draw in the lines of what they think are
threads or whatever and see if they match.

There is no need for that, the micro patterning is very real. I would be
nice to have access to the bitmaps and photographs, though.

Then try the same test with random patches of sand.

What I find remarkable is that the wind can move the 'bunny', but not
disturb the patterns. This is my take. The threaded grain patterns are
actual outlines of the pebbles and fragments eroded in situ by UV light
(or whatever, even water rising from above and flooding the area
occasionally) and the threads are fossilized or mineralized microbially
produced 'filaments' that cement the outcrop together. Thus the outcrop
decomposition, decay or erosion process may be occurring on timescales
shorter than the action of the wind erosion. The sub micron 'fines' are
coagulated or granularized, and only manifest themselves under pressure,
such as from the rover wheels.

Thomas Lee Elifritz
http://elifritz.members.atlantic.net