Mars fossil petrified root or distinctly layered spherule

The image below shows either a fossilized root or an Opportunity
spherule with very distinct three part layering. Both are about 3 mm
in diameter.

http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~weinberg/mar...root_m_028.jpg

What do you think it is? It is the first spherule I have seen with
such a distinct core and layers.

Look also at my Mars fossils web page.

http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~weinberg/mars/

best,

Michael

"MarsFossils" wrote in message
m...
The image below shows either a fossilized root or an Opportunity
spherule with very distinct three part layering. Both are about 3 mm
in diameter.

http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~weinberg/mar...root_m_028.jpg

What do you think it is? It is the first spherule I have seen with
such a distinct core and layers.

Look also at my Mars fossils web page.

http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~weinberg/mars/

best,

Michael

It's just a weathered spherule (a concretion).

George wrote:
It's just a weathered spherule (a concretion).

Top or bottom. I don't think the bottom one is even a spherule. If you
look at the other images the matrix is full of these "blocky" structures
that are not apparently related to the spherules. The structures form a
sort of "braided" pattern, often concentric around a void. I think this
is just another example of one of those. Interesting, but not a
spherule cut in half as one might think at first glance.


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

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

Skyhound Observing Pages:
http://www.skyhound.com/sh/skyhound.html

To reply remove spleen

"Greg Crinklaw" wrote in message
...
George wrote:
It's just a weathered spherule (a concretion).

Top or bottom. I don't think the bottom one is even a spherule. If you
look at the other images the matrix is full of these "blocky" structures
that are not apparently related to the spherules. The structures form a
sort of "braided" pattern, often concentric around a void. I think this
is just another example of one of those. Interesting, but not a
spherule cut in half as one might think at first glance.


Well, you've got me there. I didn't look at that second one, because,
unless I have a particular reason, I generally don't frequent an advertized
personal web site. The void to which you refer in the second image is
simplly that, a void left after a spherule was dislodged, that has become
weathered. In fact, I think a lot of the sructure that is shown is either
weathered molds for spherules, or voids for whatever minerals used to be in
the vugs but was weathered out (gypsum?).

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

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

Skyhound Observing Pages:
http://www.skyhound.com/sh/skyhound.html

To reply remove spleen

On a sunny day (3 Mar 2004 05:19:08 -0800) it happened
(MarsFossils) wrote in :

The image below shows either a fossilized root or an Opportunity
spherule with very distinct three part layering. Both are about 3 mm
in diameter.

http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~weinberg/mar...root_m_028.jpg

What do you think it is? It is the first spherule I have seen with
such a distinct core and layers.

Look also at my Mars fossils web page.

http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~weinberg/mars/

best,

Michael
It is a musroom type plant.
These stick to rocks and grow up from there.
These grow in the ground, and have roots (hairs).
It is LIFE, it is time we face it.
The Pope is a fake, the real one is on Mars.

"MarsFossils" wrote in message
m...
The image below shows either a fossilized root or an Opportunity
spherule with very distinct three part layering. Both are about 3 mm
in diameter.

http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~weinberg/mar...root_m_028.jpg

What do you think it is? It is the first spherule I have seen with
such a distinct core and layers.

Look also at my Mars fossils web page.

http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~weinberg/mars/


This is all bull**** guesswork so, he can probably later on when it's proven
that life existed on Mars, cry 'I told you so'. ****ing moron. That's not
science! That's just throwing something and hoping it sticks!

MarsFossils wrote:

The image below shows either a fossilized root or an Opportunity
spherule with very distinct three part layering. Both are about 3 mm in
diameter.

http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~weinberg/mar...root_m_028.jpg

What do you think it is? It is the first spherule I have seen with such
a distinct core and layers.

Ever been in a cave? It reminds me of the formations you see there that
are the result of mineral rich water evaporating.

--
Tony Sivori

"Tony Sivori" wrote in message
news
MarsFossils wrote:

The image below shows either a fossilized root or an Opportunity
spherule with very distinct three part layering. Both are about 3 mm in
diameter.

http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~weinberg/mar...root_m_028.jpg

What do you think it is? It is the first spherule I have seen with such
a distinct core and layers.

Ever been in a cave? It reminds me of the formations you see there that
are the result of mineral rich water evaporating.

--
Tony Sivori


I believe you are referring to cave popcorn.

George wrote:
"Tony Sivori" wrote in message
news
MarsFossils wrote:


The image below shows either a fossilized root or an Opportunity
spherule with very distinct three part layering. Both are about 3 mm in
diameter.

http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~weinberg/mar...root_m_028.jpg

What do you think it is? It is the first spherule I have seen with such
a distinct core and layers.

Ever been in a cave? It reminds me of the formations you see there that
are the result of mineral rich water evaporating.

--
Tony Sivori



I believe you are referring to cave popcorn.


George,
He could be referring to any secondary calcite formation, as nearly
all carbonate speleothems and stal result from those processes. If
someone showed me this picture and didn't tell me it was from Mars, I'd
believe it was a cave pearl and an eroded beaten up cave pearl.
Sometimes cave pearls form in exeedingly great quanity and very similar
size --I know of a cave where huge room is totally covered with them--it
is called the Ball Bearing room as a result. The inside of cave pearls
are concentrically formed, as are most stal--broken ones look like the
pattern you see if you smash a candy jawbreaker. (which is essentially
the same thing, but edible and made of sugar.)

However, most earth gypsum (Calcium sulfate) speleothems form in rather
dry environments and have heard nothing in the spectroscopic analysis
which indicates so much calcium around. I know of no gypsum cave pearls,
as the water required to round them would dissolve the mineral under
earth conditions. ( Recall, gypsum is softer than calcite.)

I think I'd go for oolitic hematite instead.

"Jo Schaper" wrote in message
...
George wrote:
"Tony Sivori" wrote in message
news
MarsFossils wrote:


The image below shows either a fossilized root or an Opportunity
spherule with very distinct three part layering. Both are about 3 mm
in
diameter.

http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~weinberg/mar...root_m_028.jpg

What do you think it is? It is the first spherule I have seen with
such
a distinct core and layers.

Ever been in a cave? It reminds me of the formations you see there that
are the result of mineral rich water evaporating.

--
Tony Sivori



I believe you are referring to cave popcorn.


George,
He could be referring to any secondary calcite formation, as nearly
all carbonate speleothems and stal result from those processes. If
someone showed me this picture and didn't tell me it was from Mars, I'd
believe it was a cave pearl and an eroded beaten up cave pearl.
Sometimes cave pearls form in exeedingly great quanity and very similar
size --I know of a cave where huge room is totally covered with them--it
is called the Ball Bearing room as a result. The inside of cave pearls
are concentrically formed, as are most stal--broken ones look like the
pattern you see if you smash a candy jawbreaker. (which is essentially
the same thing, but edible and made of sugar.)

You are of course, correct. I have a lot of experience with caves, but I
will defer to your superior knowledge of the subject in this case. I said
cave popcorn simply because that was the first thing that came to mind. But
you are correct, it could just as well be cave pearls: In fact, I think
that analogy is more appropriate.

However, most earth gypsum (Calcium sulfate) speleothems form in rather
dry environments and have heard nothing in the spectroscopic analysis
which indicates so much calcium around. I know of no gypsum cave pearls,

Never heard of them, so obviously I haven't seen them. However, the
Muldraugh limestone in Elisabethtown, Kentucky contains huge gypsum nodules
that were believed to be formed as a secondary replacement of smaller
concretions. These gypsum nodules can be as big as 18" in diameter. All of
the cave gypsum I have seen weas formed in a dry environment out of shale or
shaley limstone with a high sulphate concentration.

as the water required to round them would dissolve the mineral under
earth conditions. ( Recall, gypsum is softer than calcite.)

I think I'd go for oolitic hematite instead.


That is certainly a possibility. Only I think what I saw with the TES map
they made of the site was that the highest concentrations of hematite occurs
outside of the crater. Of course, that doesn't entirely rule out the
possibility of the spherules contain hematite. I guess we will have to wait
for them to make another announcement. One thing though, and I ask this
because although I am very familiar with Oolitic limestone formation (we
have the St. Genevieve limestone in my neck of the woods too, and I've
studied it for many years), I don't know much about oolitic hematite other
than it does occur. Does oolitic hematite form in the same way that
carbonate oolites form? If so, they would have to accrete by rolling around
on the floor of come bldy of water dure to current agitation, would they
not? I'm not saying that this isn't a possibility at the rover landing
site, I'm just trying to get a clearer picture of how hematite oolites
form. Can they form by replacement of the original carbonate with hematite
by percolation of iron-rich ground water? I don't know if this is a
possibility, but I do know that ground water in many water wells in Kentucky
and Southern Indiana that are completed in the St. Genevieve limestone have
a high iron content, yet I have never seen oolites in the St. Genevieve that
were replaced with hematite. That goes for the Illionois Fluorspar district
as well. I've never seen hematite oolites there either, even though the
iron content of the ground water there is high. I guess it may be a
question of the high Ph water keeping the iron in solution. What say you?

Also, another possibility could be siderite, if they ever find carbonates
there.