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... some rocks were pounded into the surface and have that 'muddy' looking soil smushed up in a ring around them.

Thanks for the great pics and threads with the details and discussion -- I finally got some time to let the thread load through.

Here's a question or two I have about this pic:

Mud ?? With Methane+ ???

I know we're looking for water, but what other liquids could be used in its place? Mars has an average temperature of -60^oC, which I will guesstimate ranges from -100^oC to 0^oC. Methane+ (C+H+) has various freezing and boiling points, providing for a liquid phase under those temperatures. However, I find no real info as to the liquidity under less than nominal 14.7psi other than the boiling point decreases as pressure does, but not in a linear fashion. What about the freezing point? Does it also change as much with pressure?

Those rocks at the bottom right looks like they've been smushed into moist soil, as there seem to be small clumps, that if perfectly dry, would fall.

Be a hell of a note if the Rover drives off and gets stuck in a Methane+ Mud pit!

Actually, if there were methane, I believe that prior missions would have detected venting of the methane into the CO2 rich atmosphere.

But your point is very interesting because if you recall, the Viking lander experiment that searched for biological processes turned up some strange readings that may have been partly related to a chemical reaction of some kind.

I've never heard an explanation for the Viking lander biological sciences results. If you have, please post.

If it were actually water, you would see more frost and ice during the Martian night.

If the traces of water are correct (see post above this one in thread), doesn't it suggest that the planet had far more water than is evident today?

Is it all tied up in the huge Martian poles?

We really need to do radar ranging on the planet to study the depth of the Mars poles.

Do you know if there is any data to suggest that the Mars poles are deeper than expected?

Maybe the planet is in such a deep freeze that the polar caps have all the water from the rest of the planet?