Jezero Delta Campaign, Sols 414-1000, 21 Apr 2022- 23 Dec 2023 Options

[tau]

Here comes a sol 424 SuperCam RMI mosaic of the presumed siltstone/mudstone with sol 423 Mastcam-Z context.
The graininess in the bluish-gray parts of the SuperCam image is most likely image noise.
Possible mineral grains are too small to be visible. If there are grains, their diameter should be less than 0.15 mm assuming that at least 3 pixels are necessary to resolve a grain.
The vertical sequence of laser shots in the center of the SuperCam mosaic indicates that a chemical-mineralogical analysis is in progress.

[neville thompson]

Gigapan - PERSEVERANCE 424
© NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/ASU/NeV-T

[Bill Harris]

Snippity-snip

Meanwhile- What's that? Everyone's looking at the silt layers, what's with the 'worm castings?"

I'm not willing to stick my neck out on that just yet!! Aeolian weathering can create the strangest shapes!!

--Bill

[Bill Harris]

If you are right that the deposition was fallout in the lake prior to delta formation Bill then couldn't the banded layers reflect variations in oxygenation conditions within the lake? Assuming an abiotic influence, say periodic changes in cloud or ash cover affecting levels of UV at the surface and potentially shallow water.

Absolutely. In (polluted) terrestrial waters you can have low dissolved oxygen due to BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand) and COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand). The chemistry of the water can scavenge oxygen. And still water in the bottom of a basin or Cup ( ) can certainly produce anoxic zones.

--Bill

[tau]

Sol 424 SuperCam RMI mosaic no. 2 with Mastcam-Z context and sol 422 Navcam context

[tau]

Sol 425 SuperCam RMI mosaic with sol 423 Mastcam-Z context and sol 422 Navcam context

[HSchirmer]

Sol 425 SuperCam RMI mosaic ...

Interesting shapes- they remind me a bit of the raindrop casts you find in some eastern USA Triassic red shales.

Anyone heard any guesses on what size raindrops on Mars would grow to?

[AndyG]

Anyone heard any guesses on what size raindrops on Mars would grow to?

I know Ralph Lorenz has 'previous' on this matter!

In brief - it appears to depend on the atmospheric pressure.

Andy

[Phil Stooke]

We have had some really nice panoramas posted by Damia and Thomas recently, certainly much better than I could manage. I have been playing with circular versions of them so here are some examples.

Damia, sol 419:



Thomas, sol 422:



and the same with some contrast enhancement and other processing:



And we just had another drive, this time to the east, looking like we will approach an interesting outcrop north of where we are now.

Phil

[Phil Stooke]

Just reporting in from the MEPAG meeting. Ken Farley reports that the rover will now move back to the Three Forks area and up into Hawksbill Gap. It will survey outcrops on the way up, then sample them on the way down. At the end of 2022 it will be back at Three Forks and that may be the site of the first sample cache, because it is so flat and benign for operation of the later sample collection missions. Then Perseverance will climb onto the delta top for more sampling. It is possible that the cache will be closer to the crater Belva on the delta top, some time in 2023, but there is a desire to get a good cache safely deployed fairly soon. Later the rover moves to the main channel of the delta and finally up onto the crater rim in about 2024. A second cache would be further southwest after more sampling.

Phil

[Phil Stooke]

This is Damia's panorama for sol 419 (as posted above) but with enhanced contrast and adjusted colour. Changing contrast messes up the colour, which is why I make changes to it. I know it's not realistic.

I have not worked on the latest panorama, hoping someone else will do it first.

Phil

[charborob]

Sol 425 RMastcam-Z (34mm):

[Phil Stooke]

sol 426, a circular panorama with lots of aeolian bedforms AKA drifty-like ripply-like objects.

Phil

[PaulH51]

More of those lovely aeolian bedforms (See Phil's post) this time after the drive on sol 428 (site 24-1970)

[Ant103]

Sol 428 Navcam panoramic. Look at this very nice place !