Mystery Spheres on Mars Finally Identified

Space.com ^ | 17 March 2004 | Leonard David

[XBob]

56 - sorry you are 'slow' tonight. Have some coffee.

I posted, about manganese/iron nodules on our sea bed, and how they are formed, layer on layer, and into little spheres, from minerals precipitating out of the water.

It seems like a likely way of forming similar 'berries' on Mars. And while most 'usable' nodules on Earth are much larger (the size of potatoes), there are many small ones too. And with the Earth seas being around much longer, that could account for the size difference.

Just trying to throw an idea into the 'thinking' pot here for FReepers to 'stew' over, hypothesizing.

[XBob]

56 - In fact, look at the picture of various nodules I posted in #52, the third one down on the right looks almost exactly like the 'Mars berries'.

[general_re]

It seems like a likely way of forming similar 'berries' on Mars.

I had some coffee this morning and realized that this was more or less your point, but thanks for clarifying. Anyway, whenever someone talks about manganese nodules on the ocean bed, I get sidetracked into thinking about Project Jennifer for some reason ;)

[XBob]

I remember that, but forgot about the nodules.

It seems to me there were 3 'glomar' ships built, and several trips (mostly successful finally) to raise the soviet submarine.

They also worked in the South China sea, just off the coast of Vietnam for some reason, which I never heard revealed.

[dr_who_2]

So far as I can make out, there aren't even any cretins, invertebrates, or lawyers on Mars.