I think it's time for a new topic. We are effectively at the entrance to Gediz Vallis now that we have climbed this last slope on sol 3871.
The previous topic described the Greenheugh Pediment. We made a valiant attempt (two valiant attempts really) to explore its surface. It was too rough for Curiosity's dainty wheels but its outer edge was examined in detail. But now there are new targets: a crater cluster, the Gediz Vallis Ridge whose upper part is accessible from this level, and the large valley and its central sinuous valley as well.
I attached a picture seen at LPSC - I am embarrassed to say that I can't remember where it was from. Usually I have detailed notes of sources but this one slipped through. Maybe someone will recognize it and I can add a source. It gives the name of the butte at the western entrance to the valley, annotated onto the JPL map.
Phil
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Full Version: Exploring Gediz Vallis and its ridge
Indeed quite the vista unfolding as Phil described. Here's a sequence of drives that topped the ridge by going through the area of the double alcove, using official mosaics between Sols 3860 and 3873.
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Longer steppable drive animation with a combination of official and Jan's mosaics from Sol 3435 to the present.
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Longer steppable drive animation with a combination of official and Jan's mosaics from Sol 3435 to the present.
Jan's latest panorama in circular form, sol 3873.
Phil
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Phil
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Been a while since we saw a wheel check (due to difficult terrain)
This is 1 of 20 wheel inspection MAHLI's acquired on Sol 3878.
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This is 1 of 20 wheel inspection MAHLI's acquired on Sol 3878.
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This is the worst of the images, but a frightening amount of damage to the most damaged wheel. No wonder the rover planners have worked to avoid crossing any terrain with pointy rock surfaces. With three adjacent grouser bars Brocken or missing in the image, I wonder how close to failure this wheel is and how much more damage it can accumulate and still keep on trucking 
QUOTE (Floyd @ Jul 6 2023, 01:27 PM) 
I wonder how close to failure this wheel is and how much more damage it can accumulate and still keep on trucking
That damage has been pretty much unchanged in hundreds of sols - here's the same wheel from sol 3492:
Thanks Fred. I must have missed the 3492 image. It is reassuring that it is basically unchanged over that length of time.
QUOTE (fredk @ Jul 6 2023, 10:42 PM)
That damage has been pretty much unchanged in hundreds of sols...
Here they are side-by-side (cropped and sharpened)
The changes to the rover's driving algorithm has really kept this rover trucking...
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Latest drive back more to the southwest using official mosaics for Sols 3873 and 3880.
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Longer steppable drive animation with a combination of official and Jan's mosaics from Sol 3435 to the present.
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Longer steppable drive animation with a combination of official and Jan's mosaics from Sol 3435 to the present.
Jan's panorama for sol 3880 in circular form. That's one rocky surface. Curiosity will have to tiptoe through it.
Phil
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Phil
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Latest drives are westward using official mosaics between Sols 3880 and 3887.
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Longer steppable drive animation with a combination of official and Jan's mosaics from Sol 3435 to the present.
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Longer steppable drive animation with a combination of official and Jan's mosaics from Sol 3435 to the present.
Jan's panoramas for sols 3885 and 3887 in circular form.
Phil
3885:
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3887:
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Phil
3885:
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3887:
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Gigapan - MSL 3886 MR
© NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/NeV-T
Gigapan - MSL 3885-3887 CC
© NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/LANL/CNES/IRAP/NeV-T
This is Jan's sol 3890 panorama in circular form. As Nogal said in the map thread, the craters are hard to discern, but they would show up better with more oblique illumination.
Phil
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Phil
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QUOTE (neville thompson @ Jul 20 2023, 05:35 AM)
Thank you very much Neville for this nice mosaic.
The white rocks at center are indeed a fascinating zone to explore and sample
The "craters" rather subdued in images from rover vs images from satellites.
Only the smallest and closest craters are visible right now. Here they are:
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Phil
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Phil
And here is Jan's panorama for sol 3892 in circular form.
Phil
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Phil
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Such a fascinating site! 
Latest drives are westward and slightly upward while traversing the slope using official mosaics between Sols 3887 and 3894.
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Longer steppable drive animation with a combination of official and Jan's mosaics from Sol 3435 to the present.
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Longer steppable drive animation with a combination of official and Jan's mosaics from Sol 3435 to the present.
QUOTE (neville thompson @ Jul 25 2023, 01:53 AM)
Beautiful Neville.
How to explain an environment filled with large boulders scattered on the floor of this valley: erosion, scree area,
debacle, flood. What era? What phenomenon can explain a landscape.
QUOTE (Glevesque @ Jul 25 2023, 07:50 AM)
Beautiful Neville.
How to explain an environment filled with large boulders scattered on the floor of this valley: erosion, scree area,
debacle, flood. What era? What phenomenon can explain a landscape.
How to explain an environment filled with large boulders scattered on the floor of this valley: erosion, scree area,
debacle, flood. What era? What phenomenon can explain a landscape.
I'm guessing that innumerable meteor impacts over time have fractured the bedrock and displaced the blocks.
Probably three major influences once water permanently dried up and deposition gave way to deflation. Significant thermal variation daily causing cracking, wind erosion and gravity. All acting over billions of years in a benign environment.
Jan's panorama for sol 3897 in circular form. Getting close to a crater.
Phil
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Phil
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