Curiosity: Potential Anomalies (Update 01/2014)

a reply to: Rob48

What's the geological explanation of this? A nice picture to look at, I'm wondering how it got that way and if anyone has pictures of examples on earth. Good find, from another website I take it (I didn't click on the link, it's nice you gave credit though, the way to go)

a reply to: Aleister

That was a mastcam image from sol 601. That area has lots of very thin laminar sandstone layers by the looks of it (example) but this one is extremely thin.

I found the pic over at the UMSF forum. A member there (link) says:

Yep, as you may gather it got me all flustered because of what I think we can deduce from this rather beautiful eroded lamination. For example the demonstrated geomechanical strength would seem to necessitate both interlocking of grains and a very high cement content. The cement content rather than the type of cement is the critical parameter with the implication of a very long lasting water table post deposition. Another important factor is that to achieve the necessary density (lack of porosity) this sandstone must have been reasonably deeply buried which puts a tick on the side of Gale having been at least partially filled and then exhumed, with implications for Mount Sharpe.

You can get a vaguely similar "sandstone lace" on Earth, but obviously with the thicker atmosphere, stronger gravity and more serious weathering it can't get as delicate as that seen on Mars!

Source

originally posted by: Rob48
You can get a vaguely similar "sandstone lace" on Earth, but obviously with the thicker atmosphere, stronger gravity and more serious weathering it can't get as delicate as that seen on Mars!

And I sometime wonder about the Last Rains of Mars. It's not as if they all just stopped at once. The rains probably just got lighter and lighter over time, until there were nothing but a few sprinkles here and there. However, there was probably at some point one last downpour that washed out the gullies and filled the drying lake beds with one big layer of mud. After that, there would be no stratification. I think that's what we're seeing in a lot of the imaging. Stratification topped or filled with lumps of hardened mud.

The mud has all the interesting stuff embedded in it, in my opinion.

More "C" shells:

mars.jpl.nasa.gov...

originally posted by: Blue Shift
More "C" shells:

mars.jpl.nasa.gov...

How's that one explained ?...

a reply to: lambros56

Difficult to tell from a distance, perhaps veins of hydrated calcium sulfates?
Such as those found at sheepbed (see here and here):

Image Source: NASA/JPL

... or we're looking at something entirely different, which could only be fully revealed upon closer inspection. The C-shapes are kind of "distinctive", IMO. Would be great to get a close-up view of those features ...

a reply to: jeep3r

Yes looking at the other Mastcam images there are lots of veins in the sandstone and there also appear to be roundish inclusions here and there too.

There are certainly loads of new images to look at lately: over 700 just from sol 617 (including thumbnails etc of course)

originally posted by: Rob48
Erosion on Mars really can produce some weird and wonderful things. I give you... Martian lace

www.midnightplanets.com...

This below, was that image I mentioned way back with a giant skeleton of something, but it is just an optical illusion, the ground has fissures running along together that appears as being stacked above ground when they are really just cracks in the ground.. 2D images seem to do that alot with rover images.

Too many coincidences mimicking biology, but coincidence non the less ..

My contact lenses I have also discovered have been the cause of me seeing all sorts of things in these images, but that doesn't mean there aren't any oddities in some.. Most of what I had seen in them before was just an optical effect of these damn contacts..

Also enjoying looking at a lot of the newer images posted with the strange sand blasted erosion effects.

hello ATS

Who can tell, why Opportunity Panorama Cam has such a poor res quality vs shots taken by Curiosity?
I thought these were twin crafts. No? Sorry for my rookie ignorance folks.

originally posted by: darkorange
hello ATS

Who can tell, why Opportunity Panorama Cam has such a poor res quality vs shots taken by Curiosity?
I thought these were twin crafts. No? Sorry for my rookie ignorance folks.

No, Opportunity and Spirit are the twin rovers. They landed on Mars in 2004 but only Opportunity is still running.

Curiosity is a much bigger and newer rover (landed in 2012) and has some much better cameras from which the panoramas are assembled. (I think the navcams are similar to the older rovers but the mastcam and MAHLI (robotic arm camera, used to take the "selfies") are a lot better.)

This link has a nice pic and discussion of the difference in size between the three generations of rovers, Sojourner, Spirit/Opportunity and Curiosity.

m.theatlantic.com...

a reply to: Rob48

Wasn't opportunity the one that croaked?

By the way, it is amazing some of the new images show incredible landscapes with the crazy features the martian weather gives it all..

a reply to: alienreality

Spirit is gone, but not forgotten. I think the illustration below is a good summary of Spirit's ultimate fate:

Image Source

Opportunity is doing well, though, and the latest images can be found here and here!

a reply to: this thread

Erosion on Mars can sometimes be baffling, both with regard to isometric perspective and geometry:

Source Image

It's probably nothing, but perhaps worth posting here nonetheless ...

a reply to: jeep3r

I hate it when the kids come by and knock over your mailbox.

Good eye. It's one more interesting formation or object, in shape and the geology of how it formed.

a reply to: Aleister

looks kinda odd. smooth on gnarly look , like the winds sheered off the end



but old rustic semi buried engine aside , how long till the Butes? the place where it could be all happening

funBox

Here at 9 0clock is half of a plate/bowl mars.jpl.nasa.gov... the othe half is under the rover mars.jpl.nasa.gov... 6 oclockish

a reply to: symptomoftheuniverse

the martians that ate of that plate must have had some class ;D



looks a little clammy to me

funBox

originally posted by: funbox
a reply to: symptomoftheuniverse

the martians that ate of that plate must have had some class ;D

looks a little clammy to me

funBox

Big family bustup, or a greek wedding,the other half is at 6 oclock , clammy like my hands

a reply to: symptomoftheuniverse

you mean those realistic looking rocks in the middle of the pic ? I cant find the other half anywhere at six o clock .. next ulle be telling me its half broken in pieces



is that piece at the top the same shape as Jeep3r's shaped gnarly rock ?

funBox

a reply to: funboxhere mars.jpl.nasa.gov...
The second imaged i linked to, at 6 oclick. Lol ,under the rover
Bad lunk try this
mars.jpl.nasa.gov...


I do apoologise funbox , i should have been more clear