Home, Sweet Home, Dream becomes Reality |
Home, Sweet Home, Dream becomes Reality |
Feb 5 2006, 06:46 PM
Post
#1
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1229 Joined: 24-December 05 From: The blue one in between the yellow and red ones. Member No.: 618 |
Hope no one minds, but I felt we have to have a new topic, right from the start, as a compendium of all the Factual Observations on this incredible structure...this Mother Ship from another world...this...(who said Burgess Shale? I laughed at that at the time. ) Who will start us off with a detailed description of what we see before us TODAY February 5, 2006 - Super Sunday.
(I'll be running from game to Exploratorium all afternoon! -------------------- My Grandpa goes to Mars every day and all I get are these lousy T-shirts!
|
|
|
Feb 8 2006, 04:29 PM
Post
#2
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3419 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Minneapolis, MN, USA Member No.: 15 |
There are obviously two different lithologies going on here, even though both are finely layered. One is what appears to be a light-toned sandstone, which is rather hard rock. It's more erosion-resistant than the soils and rock beds within which the entire Home Plate formation is located -- as evidenced by the fact that the HP formation sticks out, far less eroded, from the surrounding soils.
The other is a much darker layered rock, that has a Salvador Dali-esque look to it -- it has slumped and "melted" over the aeons, even though it preserves its finely layered structure. If the light and dark layered rocks share the same lithology, I'll be incredibly surprised -- and I'll have some very basic questions as to how their appearance can be so much different. I keep thinking in terms of artesian springs. I've seen a number of them on Earth, and especially those which vent volcanically heated water tend to bear water that's absolutely saturated with minerals. The "throw" distance from the source of the spring makes an obvious difference in the lithologies of the rock that's deposited by the flowing spring water. Until we get some definite info on the lithology here, I'm still thinking that this was an impact crater that developed a hot spring vent (possibly as a result of the impact cracking a route for pressurized water between a somewhat deep aquifer and the surface). The hot spring could have turned on and off cyclically, depending on the level of subsurface volcanic heating, laying down layer after layer of minerals collected by the water in its journey from the aquifer up to the surface. Let's wait and see how water-altered these rocks are before we trap ourselves in any corners, though, eh? -the other Doug -------------------- “The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.” -Mark Twain
|
|
|
Feb 8 2006, 05:36 PM
Post
#3
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 154 Joined: 17-March 05 Member No.: 206 |
QUOTE (dvandorn @ Feb 8 2006, 12:29 PM) I keep thinking in terms of artesian springs. I've seen a number of them on Earth, and especially those which vent volcanically heated water tend to bear water that's absolutely saturated with minerals. The "throw" distance from the source of the spring makes an obvious difference in the lithologies of the rock that's deposited by the flowing spring water. -the other Doug I was thinking of something similar, but more of a geyser, where high pressure water (possibly from an aquifier) is being forced to the surface. The water is carrying minerals, sand, mud, etc that would add a layer each time it erupted and would build up to the layers we see now. Also, this would explain the 'rind' on Pitchers Mound. Perhaps it was a pre-existing hill, and the geyser-spray coated it with several layers on top. |
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 27th September 2024 - 06:56 AM |
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member. |