First pictures of Mars Rover (Opportunity) "trenching" . . . comments/speculation encouraged

NASA - JPL ^ | 2-16-2004 | NASA/JPL

[tet68]

Crop Circles?

My god man, those are pure american Donuts!

Burn rubber dude!

[ChadGore]

Re: My god man, those are pure american Donuts!

Burn rubber dude!

We're muddin' !

[tet68]

I got to give it to ya,ya sure know how to slow up a thread
and I'm on DSL.

[tet68]

Sure glad that was #100.

Whoa!

[Aracelis]

We know two things from these images: that the underlying rock is lighter in color than surface sediments, and that the lighter colored rock appears to be soft.

Terrestrially, magnetite can be found in association with many other minerals including allanite, apatite, arsenopyrite, axinite, biotite, carbonates, chromite, epidote, hematite, garnet, ilmenite, leucaugite, microcline, molybdenite, orthoclase, phlogopite, quartz, rutile, scapolite, spinel, titanite, and zircon.

My guess is that we are looking at the Martian equivalent of a pegmatite and the lighter rock could be weathered orthoclase.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

My opinion: Mars is covered by oxidized iron. It is simply a thick layer of rust. I believe Nasa already knows this, but is not saying so. You read it here first...or, I didn't know someone posted it already.

[I got the rope]

Could be just a high contrast from the black and white pic? Doesn't the spectral analysis rule out salts? It looks like almost the same consistency as the dust from the surface, but with a vastly different color which could be enhanced by the black and white photo. I wonder what the color pic looks like?

[Veritas_est]

what is the powdered doughnut stuff in the trench?

That's not a trench. It's Bush's fault.

[Djarum]

My speculation:

It looks like the rover drove over the pile of dirt it excavated, leaving a white track of the substance that was stuck to the wheel.

How did they manage to end the dig at nearly the precise point where the white substance starts?

[Aracelis]

the lighter rock could be weathered orthoclase

Or heck, it could be spodumene, a crumbly gabbro, muscovite reflecting sunlight, calcite, gypsum...auggh!

[BenLurkin]

That should be: "Need to dig holes on Mars so we have somewhere to dump tax dollars."

[tet68]

Ooops! Have just been severely chastized by the posting police so will now confine my comments to a more scientific
nature in keeping with the guidelines established by the posting police.

Sir, Yes SIR!

[Djarum]

How did they manage to end the dig at nearly the precise point where the white substance starts?

I take that back. Looking closer, it appears a fine layer of dust fell into the trench, possibly obscuring any visible stratum.

[BenLurkin]

"Pesky inane posts . . . grumble . . . mumble . . "

[BykrBayb]

Moisture, as we know it, (humidity) has been pretty much ruled out.

How much is "pretty much?" Someone (I can't find the post now) suggested some other liquid like oil. I hadn't considered the effect of gravity. Anybody know what the gravity on Mars is compared to Earth? (Like that's the missing piece of the puzzle, and if you just tell me that, I can solve the mystery. lol) Hmmm.... I still think there has to be some kind of liquid (oil-based, water-based, or whatever) in the soil. And the more I think about it, the more I think it's water-based. It seems to have evaporated from the surface.

[PoorMuttly]

Oh great. Now they found our cheese.

It's enough to make a puppy want to bite the Mailman...again.

[I got the rope]

I like your freep name.

[shaggy eel]

,,, not the mailman!

[tet68]

I know it looks nice and sunny but keep in mind it's way below freezing. -70f on average. perhaps somewhat warmer there at a low latitude. Any water would show itself as a frost ice perhaps a soil upheaval unless pretty well down in the earth or should I say in the mars?

Better?

[tet68]

He's not really playing with a deck of cards with his own pix on it, is he?