Victoria Crater Vs Big Crater, Visibility |
Victoria Crater Vs Big Crater, Visibility |
Mar 29 2005, 12:06 PM
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#1
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14434 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
I'm not really asking a question really - just posing an issue
Mars Pathfinder was about 2.2km from 'Big Crater' which was about 1.5km wide. Now - Victoria is only half that size - but it says something about local topography that we cant see it from where we are now - about 3-4km from it. Doug |
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Apr 2 2005, 01:05 AM
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#2
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Member Group: Members Posts: 356 Joined: 12-March 05 Member No.: 190 |
Sadly, I think Victoria crater will be somewhat disappointing.... not asthetically (it will doubtless be beautiful perched on the rim), but scientifically. Endurance crater was ~20 m deep and Victoria crater appears to be ~20-30 m deep, but we've climbed about 10 m or so since leaving endurance, so we'll be seeing the exact same stratigraphy as we saw in endurance! Oh well, maybe "etched terrain" will reveal some surprises.
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Apr 2 2005, 03:55 PM
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#3
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Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 4763 Joined: 15-March 05 From: Glendale, AZ Member No.: 197 |
QUOTE (deglr6328 @ Apr 2 2005, 01:05 AM) Sadly, I think Victoria crater will be somewhat disappointing.... not asthetically (it will doubtless be beautiful perched on the rim), but scientifically. Endurance crater was ~20 m deep and Victoria crater appears to be ~20-30 m deep, but we've climbed about 10 m or so since leaving endurance, so we'll be seeing the exact same stratigraphy as we saw in endurance! Oh well, maybe "etched terrain" will reveal some surprises. I don't believe that is a safe assumption. Rarely is depositional bedding so uniform as to preclude the need for studies over a wide area. Endurance told a wonderful stratigraphic story, but by no means was it a complete story. Travel through the American Southwest and you will discover the same layers as you find in the Grand Canyon hundreds of miles away, but in varying thicknesses and at different elevations. Where there are disconformoties in one place, a geologic record exists to fill those gaps in other places. Victoria is far enough away from Endurance to provide a necessary glimpse into a broader sample of the depositional history of the region. Moreover, since it is larger (did someone say five times?) then it will provide more opportunities for more nice clean exposed layers like Burns Cliff at varyious depths. At five times the diameter, Victoria will offer 20-30 times the circumference, and hence miles of new geologic observing that wasn't available at Endurance. You can bet the geologists won't be planning any summer vacations this year. -------------------- If Occam had heard my theory, things would be very different now.
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Apr 2 2005, 06:06 PM
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#4
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2173 Joined: 28-December 04 From: Florida, USA Member No.: 132 |
QUOTE (ElkGroveDan @ Apr 2 2005, 10:55 AM) Rarely is depositional bedding so uniform as to preclude the need for studies over a wide area. Endurance told a wonderful stratigraphic story, but by no means was it a complete story. I wonder if this drawing is one possibility. The layers would not have to be tilted very much to get a look at layers that were not exposed at Endurance. Such layers may even be seen in the etched terrain. |
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Apr 4 2005, 04:36 AM
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#5
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2228 Joined: 1-December 04 From: Marble Falls, Texas, USA Member No.: 116 |
QUOTE (centsworth_II @ Apr 2 2005, 12:06 PM) QUOTE (ElkGroveDan @ Apr 2 2005, 10:55 AM) Rarely is depositional bedding so uniform as to preclude the need for studies over a wide area. Endurance told a wonderful stratigraphic story, but by no means was it a complete story. I wonder if this drawing is one possibility. The layers would not have to be tilted very much to get a look at layers that were not exposed at Endurance. Such layers may even be seen in the etched terrain. At the LPSC it was mentioned that Opporunity will be climbing up the geological section as it heads south. I'd guess that is because the bedding is horizontal and Oppy is climbing in altitude, or that the bedding dips toward the south. As has been pointed out previously, any observations that can be made about the lateral and vertical variations in these fascinating rocks will be important. I really am hoping that the etched terrain will have vertical outcrops, so we can add to the type section. If the etched terain is anyting like what I am expecting, Opportunity will spend a lot of time there. -------------------- ...Tom
I'm not a Space Fan, I'm a Space Exploration Enthusiast. |
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