Why do Spherules form into lines?

Hello,
If you look at the spherules scattered on the ground, you notice very
soon that they form into lines. For example see ..

http://www.lyle.org/~markoff/process...5L234567M1.JPG
Opportunity, Sol 94

http://www.lyle.org/~markoff/process...6L234567M1.JPG
Opportunity, Sol 103

Does anybody have an idea why this happens over time? I suppose it is
for the same reasons that sand dunes form long linear dunes. They
line up at cross angles so I don't think it has much to do with slope
or prevailing winds. Is there a name for the phenomenon where pebbles
or small stones line up by themselves? They don't seem to grow in the
bedrock that way -- in bedrock they look more randomly distributed.
By the way, why are all the spherules on the top of the soil, rather
than buried deep down inside?

Just wondering. Any ideas?
Best,

Michael
Mars Fossils, Pseudofossils, and Problematica
http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~weinberg/mars
Proterozoic Earth bacteria, Horodyskia, takes over Mars...

I've looked at both images and I don't see a strong tendency for developing
linear patterns. There is some, but it's not pronounced . The brain also
looks for patterns, I think we're hard wired for it. So, any 2 points make
a line and we easily fill in the missing parts. Some of us are better at it
than others and that might be some of what your seeing.

The answer probably depends on exactly how the rock was formed.

If we assume that it was a 'water' deposit, water is an excellent agent for
lining things up, the current does this naturally.

Often these kinds of 'concretion's form because of the presence of certain
compounds or "mineral" concentrations that serve as a nucleus for them to
concentrate and develop. Water, again, is the most typical agent in this
process.

For example if a layer is deposited that is "iron" rich, later on when the
conditions are right for concretions to develop, layers/regions that are
"iron" rich will have more of a tendency to aid in the development of the
concretions. Because the"iron" provides a nucleus for these round spherules
to "grow". Geodes on Earth are usually found in concentrated layers of
sediment.

Is there a name for the phenomenon where pebbles
or small stones line up by themselves?

In geology, it's called layering, or differential layering, usually caused
by water deposition.

I'm sure there are plenty of other theories out there, so let's here them.

F Marion

On a sunny day (11 May 2004 08:38:37 -0700) it happened
(MarsFossils) wrote in :

Hello,
If you look at the spherules scattered on the ground, you notice very
soon that they form into lines. For example see ..

http://www.lyle.org/~markoff/process...5L234567M1.JPG
Opportunity, Sol 94

http://www.lyle.org/~markoff/process...6L234567M1.JPG
Opportunity, Sol 103

Does anybody have an idea why this happens over time? I suppose it is
for the same reasons that sand dunes form long linear dunes. They
line up at cross angles so I don't think it has much to do with slope
or prevailing winds. Is there a name for the phenomenon where pebbles
or small stones line up by themselves? They don't seem to grow in the
bedrock that way -- in bedrock they look more randomly distributed.
By the way, why are all the spherules on the top of the soil, rather
than buried deep down inside?

Just wondering. Any ideas?
Best,
They grow with roots in the ground.
I have seen them in circles, just like mushroom.
You will find a circle, with larger circles around it.
We have seen the roots too.
Simple.
JP

Jan Panteltje wrote:
They grow with roots in the ground.
I have seen them in circles, just like mushroom.
You will find a circle, with larger circles around it.
We have seen the roots too.
Simple.
JP

Yeah, you are simple all right.

*PLONK*

--
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Astronomical Software Developer
Cloudcroft, New Mexico, USA (33N, 106W, 2700m)

SkyTools Software for the Observer:
http://www.skyhound.com/cs.html

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To reply have a physician remove your spleen

On a sunny day (Tue, 11 May 2004 11:23:59 -0600) it happened Greg Crinklaw
wrote in
:

Jan Panteltje wrote:
They grow with roots in the ground.
I have seen them in circles, just like mushroom.
You will find a circle, with larger circles around it.
We have seen the roots too.
Simple.
JP

Yeah, you are simple all right.

*PLONK*
Fell on you mouth again ;-)?

On a sunny day (Tue, 11 May 2004 16:50:30 GMT) it happened Jan Panteltje
wrote in :

On a sunny day (11 May 2004 08:38:37 -0700) it happened
(MarsFossils) wrote in :

Hello,
If you look at the spherules scattered on the ground, you notice very
soon that they form into lines. For example see ..

http://www.lyle.org/~markoff/process...5L234567M1.JPG
Opportunity, Sol 94

http://www.lyle.org/~markoff/process...6L234567M1.JPG
Opportunity, Sol 103

Does anybody have an idea why this happens over time? I suppose it is
for the same reasons that sand dunes form long linear dunes. They
line up at cross angles so I don't think it has much to do with slope
or prevailing winds. Is there a name for the phenomenon where pebbles
or small stones line up by themselves? They don't seem to grow in the
bedrock that way -- in bedrock they look more randomly distributed.
By the way, why are all the spherules on the top of the soil, rather
than buried deep down inside?

Just wondering. Any ideas?
Best,
They grow with roots in the ground.
I have seen them in circles, just like mushroom.
You will find a circle, with larger circles around it.
We have seen the roots too.
Simple.
JP
And to add to the original question, if these meet a ridge, or stone,
where the roots cannot go, you get a line along that ridge.
Simple.
JP

Hello Francis,

Thanks for your detailed reply. My question was about spherules
eroding out randomly and then be pushed into rows and developing
linear patterns. Somehow your answer was about concretions growing in
layers which you ended by calling "differential layering". Something
got crossed there.

http://www.lyle.org/~markoff/process...5L234567M1.JPG
Opportunity, Sol 94

Again, the question is, how do they start seemly randomly distributed
in the bedrock, although I accept that they tend to develop more along
horizontal layers, and end up eroding out and floating up and on top
of the soil and what pushes them into these neat rows there.

Thanks,

Michael
Mars Fossils, Pseudofossils and Problematica
http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~weinberg/mars

MarsFossils wrote:
Thanks for your detailed reply. My question was about spherules
eroding out randomly and then be pushed into rows and developing
linear patterns. [...]

Again, the question is, how do they start seemly randomly distributed
in the bedrock, although I accept that they tend to develop more along
horizontal layers, and end up eroding out and floating up and on top
of the soil and what pushes them into these neat rows there.

Wind? I don't know how fast the wind blows on Mars, but it's
strong enough to raise a duststorm, so maybe it's what erodes the
blueberries out of the rock. Then the wind keeps dust blown out
around them. Hematite is pretty heavy, but since they're round,
the wind that blows the dust up into storms might be strong enough
to blow the blueberries together into patterns.

Jay Ts

In alt.sci.planetary Jan Panteltje wrote:
They grow with roots in the ground.

Was the rover arm ever used to turn over some of the larger spherules,
to check if all are rooted or evenly spheroid?

Their size seems also to be dependent on environmental conditions.
See these differences in size around a larger stone,
either dependent on general wind direction or sunlight:

http://mars.gh.wh.uni-dortmund.de/me...5L6L6.jpg.html

--
Holger Isenberg
H.Isenberg (at) ping.de
http://mars-news.de

On one grinding test, they ground one inhafe, but they lack the needed
hardware to know just what they are.


--
Dragons Must Fly when Thread's in the Sky

www.starlords.org

"Holger Isenberg" wrote in message
...
In alt.sci.planetary Jan Panteltje
wrote:
They grow with roots in the ground.

Was the rover arm ever used to turn over some of the larger
spherules,
to check if all are rooted or evenly spheroid?

Their size seems also to be dependent on environmental conditions.
See these differences in size around a larger stone,
either dependent on general wind direction or sunlight:


http://mars.gh.wh.uni-dortmund.de/me...5L6L6.jpg.html

--
Holger Isenberg
H.Isenberg (at) ping.de
http://mars-news.de


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