[X] My Assistant

[dilo]

I do not know if is Voltaire or another one, but the fractured rock Spirit is analyzing is pretty interesting...
First, there is a strange "extruded" portion, visible in the right/low region of this "crossed eyes" stereogram:

Herebelow, L257 PanCam image in the top portion; I highlighted in red the portion pictured with MI (lower mosaic):

Many interesting features, here. In addition to the sand filled fracture, there is a strange circular feature (enlarged in the small picture)... someone could see a biological fossil fingerprint in it ?...

[maycm]

...actually I thought it was this one that was being refered to. I've marked it up for clarity.

If not...what are the theories for these markings?

Water ripples like we saw early in the mission perhaps?

[CosmicRocker]

I was just about to give up looking for that tank tread track, but just then I think I noticed what algorimancer was talking about. I've cropped the image and perhaps somewhat abused the unsharp mask filter to make the feature a little more visible, then added an arrow to point it out. It is slightly below the tip of the arrow, but still not terribly obvious.

It is just barely resolvable, so I don't think much can be said about it. I'm not sure it would look like a track if it were viewed with the MI.

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[Guest_Richard Trigaux_*]

A pebble embedded in lava is much interesting, as it can come only from a great depth. On Earth such pebbles are theonly samples we have of rocks at down to 200-300km deep, which would be otherwise impossible to reach.

[algorimancer]

maycm and CosmicRocker, you have the feature correct. I considered posting an annotated image, but figured it was obvious enough. An MI image would be much more helpful. Looking at it in stereo isn't particularly helpful, either.

[tty]

A pebble embedded in lava is much interesting, as it can come only from a great depth. On Earth such pebbles are theonly samples we have of rocks at down to 200-300km deep, which would be otherwise impossible to reach.

It's not quite that simple. Some xenoliths are from that deep, but many also come from the walls of much shallower lava chambers or from the walls of the volcanic pipe the lava erupts through, or are incorporated while the lava flows on the surface. In Washington State there is even a lava flow containing a rhinoceros-shaped cavity with a charred rhinoceros skeleton inside it. I'm sure that didn't come from the mantle.

tty

[dilo]

Now, take a look to this new, incredible structure (Sol557, four MI stitch):

How can be generated this structure?

[Bob Shaw]

It's not quite that simple. Some xenoliths are from that deep, but many also come from the walls of much shallower lava chambers or from the walls of the volcanic pipe the lava erupts through, or are incorporated while the lava flows on the surface. In Washington State there is even a lava flow containing a rhinoceros-shaped cavity with a charred rhinoceros skeleton inside it. I'm sure that didn't come from the mantle.

tty

I'd never heard of the rhino cast before, but, sure enough, good ol' Google led the way there: http://www.spokaneoutdoors.com/rhino.htm

I suppose there's the remains at Pompeii as well, now that the subject has come up - but that was ash.

[Nirgal]

puzzling MI mosaic, dilo !

just how bizarre can this get ??

[glennwsmith]

Nirgal, your (fully justified) astonishment at these rocks reminds me of one of my very favortie quotes, whose author I am certain that some member of the USC community can indentify: "Not only is the Universe stranger than you imagine; it is stranger than you can imagine." Glenn

[Nirgal]

"Not only is the Universe stranger than you imagine; it is stranger than you can imagine."  Glenn

good one, Glenn ... made it straight into my quotes collection

[deglr6328]

JBS Haldane? Except I think he used "queer" instead of "strange" which for some reason people don't cotton to these days.

[Nirgal]

ok, couldn't resist this one: here is this "ultra-queer" Sol557 MI-rock in
color (to be taken with the usual "false-color disclaimer"



http://mitglied.lycos.de/user73289/misc/sp...m557p_col_a.jpg

... this new world is getting stranger all the time ...

[glennwsmith]

Deglr6328: according to "Wikiquotes", you are right on both counts. Thanks! Now, back to science!

[bluemars1]

OK, Nirgal et al. - I'll admit it: I don't know what's so queer about any of these. Maybe it's because I've played with too much molten solder and plastic during my formative years. Maybe I've been to too many caves. Or maybe I"ve stepped on too much decorative "lava rock" while barefoot. But when I see rocks that look like frozen drips, I think either molten rock cooling in flight (whether lava or molten from impact) or I think long, slow stalactite-type buildup.

When I see crinkled rock (with lots of semi-parallel ripples in it), I think cooling molten rock that has hit the ground while still in a plastic state.

Since I was under the impression that volcanism, impact cratering, and long-term exposure to small amounts of water were all accepted conditions of martian history, I'm just not sure what's so queer.

You and others are obviously seeing something interesting that I don't, and if I'm not being too much of a pest, I'd appreciate some more specific direction on what features to be looking at.

Thanks,
Blue Mars

[Nirgal]

OK, Nirgal et al. - I'll admit it: I don't know what's so queer about any of these. Maybe it's because I've played with too much molten solder and plastic during my formative years. 
....
You and others are obviously seeing something interesting that I don't, and if I'm not being too much of a pest, I'd appreciate some more specific direction on what features to be looking at.

Hi blue mars,

I'm not a geologist, but from time to time am just "aesthetically" fascinated by the visual appearance of the rock ... if I say strange or bizarre. this has nothing to do with "fossil or artifact suspicion" In fact, I'm 100% sure that those rocks are of "natural" origin (lava etc.) ...
It's just that some of them have individually interesting morphology, just like on earth, one is sometimes fascinted by the shape of one particular cloud or stone or mountain etc.