Explanation: The rocks on Mars tell us stories about their past. To decipher these stories, a scientist must become a detective, searching for clues and fitting them with theories. The above photograph of the rocky Martian surface to the northeast of Pathfinder's landing site provides many such clues. For example, at least three types of rocks are evident, marked with red, white and blue arrows. The red arrows point to smooth rocks, which Pathfinder scientists hypothesize have been eroded by tumbling through ancient channels of water which evaporated long ago. The blue arrows indicate a different type of rock, ragged ones with sharp edges, hypothesized to have been ejected when nearby craters formed or volcanoes erupted. The white areas are more mysterious, and might be some sort of composite material. Sojourner was recently diverted to study these white areas to gather more clues so continued detective work can yield better insight into the Martian past.
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& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Mars
Publications with words: Mars
See also:
- APOD: 2024 September 9 Á Mars: Moon, Craters, and Volcanos
- APOD: 2024 July 31 Á Leopard Spots on Martian Rocks
- APOD: 2024 June 5 Á Shadow of a Martian Robot
- Ares 3 Landing Site: The Martian Revisited
- The Shadow of Ingenuity s Damaged Rotor Blade
- APOD: 2023 November 7 Á A Martian Dust Devil Spins By
- Five Meters over Mars