Geomorphology of Gale Crater, Rock on! |
Geomorphology of Gale Crater, Rock on! |
Sep 28 2012, 05:48 AM
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#16
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 94 Joined: 11-August 12 Member No.: 6536 |
Anybody like the idea of a mud volcano for Mt Sharp? Looking at the way the upper layers are tilted, it looks like something came out of the top and flowed down the flanks. In fact I think I recall reading something about a hydrothermal spring as an origin theory for the mound.
Somebody asked about the size of the impactor that made the crater. Gale is about the same size as Chicxulub, which is linked to the extinction of the dinosaurs, and is said to have been made by a 6 mile diameter asteroid. |
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Sep 28 2012, 08:41 AM
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#17
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Member Group: Members Posts: 282 Joined: 18-June 04 Member No.: 84 |
What kind of theories and ideas are floating around to possibly explain the composition and origin of the Glenelg/high thermal emission region? It seems to be right at the base of the Alluvial fan. Perhaps it's where that water pooled into a small lake.
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Sep 28 2012, 10:46 AM
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#18
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3516 Joined: 4-November 05 From: North Wales Member No.: 542 |
See the discussion I referred to in post 10 for starters, plus the MSL team's conclusion that the fan extends to the landing site, i.e. beyond the margin of HTIF.
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Sep 28 2012, 01:18 PM
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#19
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 85 Joined: 5-September 12 Member No.: 6635 |
Not unique. Emily did a rather nice presentation on this. http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakda.../2011/3144.html I based my comment on many hours of using the VERY cool app "Mars Globe" by M. Howard and brought to my attention by E. Lakdawalla. It is a must have app on the iPad. (everyone I show it to is fascinated by it) While I do see quite a few craters with what might be central sedimentary mounds. Most of them could also be remnant central peaks and are much smaller compared to their craters than Mt. Sharp. |
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Sep 28 2012, 08:01 PM
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#20
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Member Group: Members Posts: 122 Joined: 19-June 07 Member No.: 2455 |
I'm having a hard time reconciling from the newly released pictures where exactly Glenelg is in them. When I look at the overhead route updates it appears the rover is moving East (I'm assuming North is to the top of the image) along the base of Mt Sharp with Glenelg further to the East. Logic says that if we're facing Glenelg and targeting it in the images, Mt Sharp should be to the left and yet all the images being returned are looking to the left of Mt Sharp or at its left-most flanks. Could someone show an overhead route map that includes where Mt. Sharp is in context of our journeys and what direction these latest images are pointing.
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Sep 28 2012, 08:05 PM
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#21
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3516 Joined: 4-November 05 From: North Wales Member No.: 542 |
Could someone show an overhead route map that includes where Mt. Sharp is in context of our journeys and what direction these latest images are pointing. Here: http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...st&p=192020 |
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Sep 28 2012, 08:08 PM
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#22
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Solar System Cartographer Group: Members Posts: 10256 Joined: 5-April 05 From: Canada Member No.: 227 |
Art, Mt Sharp runs all around the south horizon from due east to south to southwest. It's really big! The pics ngunn linked to show that well.
Phil -------------------- ... because the Solar System ain't gonna map itself.
Also to be found posting similar content on https://mastodon.social/@PhilStooke Maps for download (free PDF: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...Cartography.pdf NOTE: everything created by me which I post on UMSF is considered to be in the public domain (NOT CC, public domain) |
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Sep 28 2012, 08:08 PM
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#23
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Administrator Group: Admin Posts: 5172 Joined: 4-August 05 From: Pasadena, CA, USA, Earth Member No.: 454 |
I made this two days ago -- it's an un-polar projection (if that makes sense) of the CTX image of Gale, centered on Curiosity's landing site. The bottom edge of the image is Curiosity's location (the "pole," if you will); the top edge is about 18 kilometers away. Everything along the same horizontal line in this image is at the same distance from the rover. Due south is in the center of the image; due north is at the edges.
The sand dunes skirting the mountain occupy about 160 degrees of Curiosity's point of view, which means you'll see the mountain on your right if you're looking east, on your left if you're looking west, and in front of you if you're looking south; the only time the mountain wouldn't be in your field of view is if you're looking north. -------------------- My website - My Patreon - @elakdawalla on Twitter - Please support unmannedspaceflight.com by donating here.
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Sep 28 2012, 08:41 PM
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#24
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Member Group: Members Posts: 122 Joined: 19-June 07 Member No.: 2455 |
Thanks, so much clearer now. I just had no idea of the scale of things before. The link from ngunn put things into perspective and spun me around the right direction. Amazing image Emily, thanks. The lines showing our travels wouldn't even show up on your picture other than maybe a pixel. Ok back to lurking in amazement.
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Sep 28 2012, 09:40 PM
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#25
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3516 Joined: 4-November 05 From: North Wales Member No.: 542 |
un-polar projection (if that makes sense) I really like these. James Canvin used them effectively to identify horizon features seen by Opportunity and he calls them 'inverse polars'. I think that's a good term for them. Any chance of extending yours to include the crater rim? |
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Sep 28 2012, 10:17 PM
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#26
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Administrator Group: Admin Posts: 5172 Joined: 4-August 05 From: Pasadena, CA, USA, Earth Member No.: 454 |
That is precisely what I was using it for. Don't know when I'll get to finish this, so here's a preliminary version, featuring a touch of Phil-O-Vision.
It'd be easy to make a version extending to the rim. How many pixels wide would be useful? Is 3600 enough? 7200? -------------------- My website - My Patreon - @elakdawalla on Twitter - Please support unmannedspaceflight.com by donating here.
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Guest_fthurber_* |
Sep 28 2012, 10:57 PM
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#27
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Guests |
That is precisely what I was using it for. Don't know when I'll get to finish this, so here's a preliminary version, featuring a touch of Phil-O-Vision. It'd be easy to make a version extending to the rim. How many pixels wide would be useful? Is 3600 enough? 7200? WOW! Nice job. BTW, the dragon's teeth at the bottom of the sulfate layer look like nunateks, but, of course, they are not. I assume that the vertical scale in the bottom picture is exaggerated, right? |
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Sep 29 2012, 12:15 AM
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#28
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Administrator Group: Admin Posts: 5172 Joined: 4-August 05 From: Pasadena, CA, USA, Earth Member No.: 454 |
Here you go. Attached version is 3600 pixels wide (10 pixels per degree) and somewhat compressed. Here is a less-compressed 7200 wide version. The original data for this one was at about 55 meters per pixel, so it's of lower quality in the near field, but it's fine at the distance of the crater rim.
-------------------- My website - My Patreon - @elakdawalla on Twitter - Please support unmannedspaceflight.com by donating here.
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Sep 29 2012, 01:34 AM
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#29
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Member Group: Members Posts: 866 Joined: 15-March 05 From: Santa Cruz, CA Member No.: 196 |
Also note that Curiosity is sitting on or very near the lowest spot on the planet (outside of Hellas). ... i'd always thought Hellas was an ancient ancient impact resulting in a sort of unsuspecting ocean basin much later, though i don't know if theres much evidence of that. Makes me wonder on how much Gale's similarly lower elevation affected atmospheric pressure back during that thicker warmer atmosphere? im curious what models might suggest as far as atmospheric pressure at Gale vs the mean elevation during that time and if it makes sense to expect that to have much impact on making a Gale lake more habitable. Or the processional inclination at the time might have kept the Gale interior iced over with Vostok-style lake beneath but probably heated by plenty of geothermal activity. how much glaciation and erosion of the crater walls would be expected under that scenario and if extensive, could evidence of that type have been erased by now. ok, too many stray hairs, i wont even get started on Mt Sharp, its all too enigmatic.. |
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Sep 29 2012, 02:36 AM
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#30
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3419 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Minneapolis, MN, USA Member No.: 15 |
i'd always thought Hellas was an ancient ancient impact resulting in a sort of unsuspecting ocean basin much later, though i don't know if theres much evidence of that. I used to think along those lines, too. But the orbiters (especially Odyssey) have seen almost no indication of hydrogen in Hellas -- i.e., no indication of subsurface ice or even strongly hydrated materials. Instead of harboring water in the past, these results tend to indicate that Hellas has never seen much water at all. I think that's likely why it has never been considered as an attractive landing site, even though it is such a low spot that the atmospheric pressure there is higher at the surface than just about anywhere else on Mars. Hellas would be a wonderful landing site if you're looking to examine Martian mantle materials, because it is certainly deep enough to have exhumed mantle rocks. Geologically speaking, it's very attractive. But since the main interest in Mars is (and, I think, always has been) the investigation of water, habitability and life, the geologic questions that drove the exploration and analysis of the Moon are taking a back seat to the water- and life-seekers when it comes to Mars. -the other Doug -------------------- “The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.” -Mark Twain
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