The Unusual Blueberries at Bylot Rock
Explanation:
Why aren't these Martian rocks round?
Small rocks dubbed
blueberries have been found by the
Opportunity rover all over
Meridiani Planum on
Mars,
but the ones perched on Bylot rock have unusually non-spherical shapes.
The strangely shaped blueberry rocks are
shown above
in an image taken by Opportunity's
microscopic imager on August 9.
Dark sand also covers much of
Bylot rock.
One hypothesis for the lack of
blueberry roundness here is a coating relatively resistant to erosion.
The average diameter of a
blueberry is about 4 millimeters.
The study of these and other
rock features
is allowing a better understanding of the
wet past of ancient Mars.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
