Bye Bye Blueberries |
Bye Bye Blueberries |
Oct 24 2005, 03:25 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 252 Joined: 27-April 05 Member No.: 365 |
According to Steve Squyres' latest journal entry, Opportunity is now seeing virtually -no- blueberries in the surface matrix anymore.
"...On top of that, Opportunity has stumbled onto something really new and different lately... the blueberries seem to be gone!..." And a theory: "But one possible guess at this point is that we have moved "up section" in geologic terms -- to rocks that are higher up in this stack of layered sediments -- and that the rocks at this level never experienced the concretion-forming process. It's an interesting hypothesis with interesting implications, and it's also one that could explain a few other odd things we've been thinking about ever since Eagle crater" Looks like Oppy will stop for some intense IDD work in the next day or so. |
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Oct 25 2005, 07:37 PM
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#2
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2228 Joined: 1-December 04 From: Marble Falls, Texas, USA Member No.: 116 |
No doubt about it, the sol 617/618 outcrops were extremely interesting. I may have gone overboard a bit, suggesting they need to go back there for more investigation. I'm pretty sure that won't happen, but I really would have liked to see more close-up imaging around there.
I don't know if that contact is where the concretions disappear, but it has to be nearby. This area seems to have a lot going on, stratigraphically and structurally. Some places are really jumbled, and may indeed be impact ejecta. I agree though, that a change like the disappearance of the berries potentially has important implications regarding the paleoenvironment and/or the subsurface alteration processes. It sure could be an indication of a paleo-water table. -------------------- ...Tom
I'm not a Space Fan, I'm a Space Exploration Enthusiast. |
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Oct 25 2005, 07:49 PM
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Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 4763 Joined: 15-March 05 From: Glendale, AZ Member No.: 197 |
QUOTE (CosmicRocker @ Oct 25 2005, 07:37 PM) No doubt about it, the sol 617/618 outcrops were extremely interesting. I may have gone overboard a bit, suggesting they need to go back there for more investigation. Perhaps, but it's possible we will encounter this same contact zone on the other side of Erebus as we head out of town. -------------------- If Occam had heard my theory, things would be very different now.
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