As above but with a Hard Light mix to hopefully emphasise relief features.

Also, the colour and structure of the highlighted rock seems to be quite alien to it's surroundings. (At least to my untrained eye).

Agreed. It is clearly not part of the bedrock and has been transported from elsewhere. The apparent shatter cone discussed above (beginning on Mar 4) and other rocks at the top of the ridge appear to be made out of the same material.
Don Burt

There is nothing alien about that highlighted rock. It is one of a family of "scoriaceous Burple rocks" present on the ridge overlying the possible "shattercones" in the area of "Site Sgt Chas Floyd", aka Site 194/0000.

--Bill

dburt, thanks for that reply. I struggle to link previous posts to that with which I am immediately concerned. (Must do better)

BillHarris, regardless of what it is made of, as far as I am concerned, it is definitely alien to it's immediate surroundings.

I'm not sure I disagree with either of you, except that Bill seems to think that the bedrock is what appears to be shatter-coned (and it does, more or less), whereas I was talking about the loose possible shatter cone at the top of the ridge, made out of a piece of the "alien rock". These rocks look unusually porous, but I'm not sure yet whether they are truly "scoriaceous" (a bubbly igneous or impact melt texture) or merely brecciated (broken up by impact). Time will tell, I hope.
Don Burt

Foreground on sol 3956

I think Bill's comment dismissing "alien" is based on the fact that the only definition of alien as an adjective, that would seem vaguely applicable is "unfamiliar and disturbing or distasteful" (Oxford Dictionary) rather than any objection to algorithm's underlying contention. Dburt's describing it as transported is more accurate - an erratic without the glacial influence.

I stand to be corrected but the implication from Centsworth's quote that shattercones in the rim/ejecta blanket are associated with megablocks agrees with everything I have read. So if this much discussed artefact is indeed a loose shattercone then it is most unlikely to have formed in the Endeavour impact. Actually the concept that it could have initially been formed and deposited in a megablock in the Miyamoto ejecta blanket, which was then brecciated in the Endeavour impact with the shattercone ballistically emplaced within the rim is kind of exciting.

Sol 3958 pancam:

Sol 3958 in colour:

I was puzzled by this; checking the OED, the first definition of alien as an adjective is: "Belonging to another person, place, or family; not of one's own; from elsewhere, foreign." I think belonging to another place, from elsewhere, or foreign pretty much sums up the intended meaning in this discussion.

ADMIN: And with that, we can leave the discussion there. Back on topic please.

A panorama from the last l2 l5 l7 sols

How nice ! Thanks a lot eliBonora for sharing this work with us

Today is Reformat Day!

After living without flash, I can't imagine what getting it back will feel like.

Hope everything goes smoothly.

The Navcam L0 view on Sol 3962.

Jan van Driel