[petuniasevan]

No dust on the boulders; it blows off.

Yes, the various boulders are a mystery. Some areas contain lots of them; others don't.

Perhaps water carried them around eons ago. Or even glaciers.

Here's an anomaly for you to chew on: a bed of dark boulders

Image is from the Planetary Society

Trust me on this: Scientists would LOVE to find evidence, even fossils, of Martian life. It would rank among the greatest discoveries of all time. Problem is, it's not easy to accomplish the research by remote probes. And the Martian environment is harsh to say the least.

We may not have any definite answers until we send a manned mission to Mars.

[Mr. K]

I see you point about the dust blowing off the boulders, but it just doesn't 'look' that way to me. It honestly seem like the whole place is covered with the aftermath of some huge explosioin with stuff raining down all over. And relatvely recently too. (in geological age)

[Mr. K]

also, how did the boulders get placed there so uniformly in the first place (nevermind no dust on them). I mean look at the mars lander that roamed around- they are everywhere as if someone tossed a pile of gravel into the air and it landed all over.