MSL at Rocknest, First scoop samples - sols 57-101 Options

[Phil Stooke]

And just to add names to John's feldspar types, anorthosite feldspar is plagioclase, granite feldspar is mainly orthoclase (though granite contains both feldspars). Plagioclase is white - it make the lunar highlands brighter than the maria. Orthoclase is pinkish, often giving granite a pinkish tint (granite with little orthoclase is really granodiorite).

Phil

[dvandorn]

Exactly, Phil -- what I just called alkali feldspar is the pinkish stuff you find in granites. Of course, on Earth these are formed as a result of subduction, with various rock types including plagioclase being altered under high heat and pressure in the presence of water after the crust has been subducted and then re-exposed by tectonic processes. It would be quite revealing if we were to find significant orthoclase-type feldspar or full-on granitic rocks on Mars, as that would tend to indicate a period of subduction and re-exposure sometime in Mars' past.

-the other Doug

[fredk]

A new stereo mahli view of Burwash. Taken from a bit farther away than my previous anaglyph (so lower resolution), but with better lighting:


Is that a rounded pebble sitting in a groove near centre top?

And check out what's coming down the pipeline...
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/ms...0010I1_DXXX.jpg

[walfy]

A new one of "Burwash":



(Oops! Just noticed fredk got to it already!)

[ronald]

Some "Et-then" and since my take on "Burwash" was done allready - I'll post it too

Cant wait for the new MAHLI sequence

[ElkGroveDan]

A new stereo mahli view of Burwash.

Those paper-thin eroded features are breathtaking.

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[walfy]

my take on "Burwash"...

Very nice to have the wheel tracks in the shot to see just how small these rocks are! My brain keeps telling me they're much larger. Maybe the rover should've brought along a Swiss army knife to place in each shot.

[stewjack]

Just a casual observation. However; I haven't noticed any rounded pebbles lately. I haven't been specifically looking for them, but I noticed them right after landing without being told about them. Since we are down slope there are probably some, but they don't seem to be as common. Even if my observation finds agreement: Since we have been stationary for such a long time, I suspect that it is to early to call it a characteristic of the new terrain of Glenelg. If someone has already mentioned this I apologize for missing it.

[Explorer1]

Telecon Friday morning, on atmospheric studies. What many have been waiting for:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2012-343

[elakdawalla]

I've gotten behind on MSL so spent today getting up to speed. My sol-by-sol timeline is now up-to-date. I noticed two time-series of Navcams taken late in the day on sols 75 and 77. Anybody know what these were for? Dust devil searches? I tried animating one set but didn't see anything different from frame to frame except cosmic ray hits.

[fredk]

I guess you mean the series ending with these two frames:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/pr...NCAM00530M_.JPG
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/pr...NCAM00524M_.JPG
(They were taken early afternoon, not late in the day.) They've been doing series like this for a while. My original guess was DD searches. But Spirit used to crop the DD navcams on the horizon before sending them back to earth at full resolution. So maybe they're also interested in looking for the effects of wind gusts in the foreground?

[jhagen]

First post...
I don't know how to link to the full size image yet, but here is a 500px wide anaglyph version of the sol 82 MAHLI stereo with shadows removed.

[jmknapp]

First post...

Nice 3D on that one. I didn't realize how small that rock is until this image came down:

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/ms...0048E2_DXXX.jpg

So, what, just a few inches across?

[drz1111]

Exactly, Phil -- what I just called alkali feldspar is the pinkish stuff you find in granites. Of course, on Earth these are formed as a result of subduction, with various rock types including plagioclase being altered under high heat and pressure in the presence of water after the crust has been subducted and then re-exposed by tectonic processes. It would be quite revealing if we were to find significant orthoclase-type feldspar or full-on granitic rocks on Mars, as that would tend to indicate a period of subduction and re-exposure sometime in Mars' past.

-the other Doug

More than that, most processes that generate a granite require water in the partial melting recipe. True granite strongly suggests that you had full-on, Earth-style water-mediated plate tectonics for some period of time.

[Tesheiner]

Created a separate thread for this spectacular self portrait. All posts have been moved there.