Winter campaign at Cook Haven, Sol 3512 - 3599 (December 13, 2013 - March 10, 2014) |
Winter campaign at Cook Haven, Sol 3512 - 3599 (December 13, 2013 - March 10, 2014) |
Jan 16 2014, 11:18 PM
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#46
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Member Group: Members Posts: 404 Joined: 5-January 10 Member No.: 5161 |
Does that trail lead down-slope? I couldn't figure it out by a quick study of the images. If the rock is downhill from its origin, that would explain part of the distance it traveled – maybe.
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Jan 17 2014, 12:27 AM
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#47
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Member Group: Members Posts: 866 Joined: 15-March 05 From: Santa Cruz, CA Member No.: 196 |
I never could find any trail of crumbs but the resting place is clearly downslope, apparently originating upslope on the crushed area as Moe pointed out. just how far that is, vertically as well, has proven difficult to pin down..
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Jan 17 2014, 12:38 AM
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#48
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3431 Joined: 11-August 04 From: USA Member No.: 98 |
Interesting; I think there's more than a few pebbles disturbed. Here's a second attempt at a comparison, and you can see it looks like some bedrock has been disturbed (second circled area). (EDIT: Oops... actually not. On closer inspection, looks like it's just some dirt that got spread on the bedrock.)
Pinnacle Island is more or less northeast of the rover, so it's probably downslope. MERBSol3528-3540PinnacleIslandComparison2 on Flickr |
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Jan 17 2014, 02:34 AM
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#49
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3431 Joined: 11-August 04 From: USA Member No.: 98 |
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Jan 17 2014, 02:38 AM
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#50
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 4246 Joined: 17-January 05 Member No.: 152 |
To me it just looks like the bedrock you're pointing to has had soil scattered onto it from the bottom direction on your image as PI skidded past.
Edit: you retracted before I finished posting! I suppose that a loose piece of rock positioned just right as a wheel goes over it could be spat out at considerable speed, since the weight on the rock could be substantial. And that's even though the rover moves very slowly. |
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Jan 17 2014, 02:43 AM
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#51
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3431 Joined: 11-August 04 From: USA Member No.: 98 |
Yep... my bad.
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Jan 17 2014, 03:05 AM
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#52
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Member Group: Members Posts: 507 Joined: 10-September 08 Member No.: 4338 |
... apparently originating upslope on the crushed area ... That image is from Sol 3516. In Sol 3528 images, P.I. has not yet reached its destination, so that particular disturbed area could not be the origin of P.I. (EDIT: Unless it traveled very slowly.) |
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Jan 17 2014, 03:28 AM
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#53
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2082 Joined: 13-February 10 From: Ontario Member No.: 5221 |
Steve Squyres on the Opportunity 10 year event:
2 theories about this rock's origin: either flicked by the wheels somehow, or a piece of new(!) crater ejecta: lots of sulfur, and apparently twice as much manganese as anything seen so far! |
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Jan 17 2014, 05:27 AM
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#54
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1043 Joined: 17-February 09 Member No.: 4605 |
High manganese deposited along a fracture implies hydrothermal deposition.
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Jan 17 2014, 05:35 AM
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#55
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3419 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Minneapolis, MN, USA Member No.: 15 |
Would manganese deposited hydrothermally be suspended in water in the form of a manganese salt? Or are there more complex chemical interactions which would keep manganese in suspension and then initiate its precipitation out of solution? And would this imply warm, or even hot water (i.e., would manganese come out of solution as the water cooled)?
-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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Jan 17 2014, 05:46 AM
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#56
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2082 Joined: 13-February 10 From: Ontario Member No.: 5221 |
It's archived here:
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/42795898 Skip to 25:20 for his comments on this rock/ejecta/thing. Squyres is skeptical of the ejecta theory, though Hirise would make certain... |
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Jan 17 2014, 07:27 AM
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#57
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The Insider Group: Members Posts: 669 Joined: 3-May 04 Member No.: 73 |
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Jan 17 2014, 04:41 PM
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#58
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3431 Joined: 11-August 04 From: USA Member No.: 98 |
You're right, Pando! Makes one wonder what else is around. I tried a few crazy comparisons between Navcam and Pancam images but haven't spotted any other bits yet.
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Jan 17 2014, 05:32 PM
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#59
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Member Group: Members Posts: 495 Joined: 12-February 12 Member No.: 6336 |
This a time to play the 'Rolling stones' perhaps. =)
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Jan 17 2014, 08:09 PM
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#60
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Member Group: Members Posts: 215 Joined: 23-October 12 From: Russia Member No.: 6725 |
-------------------- My blog on Patreon
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