Full Version: June 13, 2007, HiRISE release
QUOTE (AlexBlackwell @ Jun 13 2007, 06:37 PM) 
This "porposed MSL site in Iani Chaos" looks very interesting. They even started building foundations for the Crane on the left of the picture!
The "Gullies and Layers" image is really nice.
Yeah, I've been ogling that one for a future post. I'm intrigued by what apper to be boulders weathering out of the layers; looks like the crater fill was very poorly sorted. Interesting.
--Emily
--Emily
Wow, Stu! 
That is fascinating...boy, I sure hope that they're building a periodic reobservation schedule of areas like this for the extended mission. Beginning to wonder now if some places are one hell of a lot more dynamic then previously thought...
That is fascinating...boy, I sure hope that they're building a periodic reobservation schedule of areas like this for the extended mission. Beginning to wonder now if some places are one hell of a lot more dynamic then previously thought...
Relevant to Emily's boulder observation, the "Gullies and layers" HiRISE image was not the first to show layers with abundant boulders, indicating poor sediment sorting in layered slopes. Previous images included, e.g., PSP_001691_1320 "Gullied trough in Noachis Terra, released on 28 Feb., and PSP_001942_2310 "Signs of fluids and ice in Acidalia Planitia" released on 9 May. That these bouldery layers might represent ancient ballistic impact ejecta seems a reasonable suggestion, because much of the present martian surface is littered with boulders presumed to be ballistic impact ejecta. Other possibilities for boulder deposits might include, e.g., ancient talus or landslide deposits at the foot of slopes, stream boulders in channels, volcanic ejecta near vents, glacial moraines, or iceberg dropstones.
As an aside, the related suggestion that at least some of the fine-grained layers above or below any boulder deposits (or elsewhere on Mars) could likewise represent ancient impact deposits (non-ballistic fine-grained sand and dust distributed over vast areas by fast-moving, turbulent, erosive gaseous density currents - a.k.a. impact surge clouds - or by the winds as later fallout) already seems to have aroused considerable controversy on this forum, but again that's peripheral to Emily's boulder comment.
--Don
[MOD EDIT: "Brine Splat Burt" discussion moved here -> http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...ic=4308&hl= -EGD]
As an aside, the related suggestion that at least some of the fine-grained layers above or below any boulder deposits (or elsewhere on Mars) could likewise represent ancient impact deposits (non-ballistic fine-grained sand and dust distributed over vast areas by fast-moving, turbulent, erosive gaseous density currents - a.k.a. impact surge clouds - or by the winds as later fallout) already seems to have aroused considerable controversy on this forum, but again that's peripheral to Emily's boulder comment.
--Don
[MOD EDIT: "Brine Splat Burt" discussion moved here -> http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...ic=4308&hl= -EGD]
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