Mars "blueberries" contain hematite
Posted: Sat, Mar 20, 2004, 10:11 AM ET (1511 GMT)
Small, spherical rocks dubbed "blueberries", found at the Opportunity Mars rover landing site, are rich in hematite, a mineral formed in the presence of water, scientists announced this week. The rocks, which are actually gray and the size of BBs, are too small for the rover to analyze individually, but the rover was able to find a concentration of them in a depression named the "berry bowl" within the crater the rover landed in. Analysis of that concentration shows that the blueberries contained significant amount of hematite compared to surrounding rocks. On Earth, hematite with crystals the size found in the blueberries usually form in the presence of water, providing additional evidence that this region of Mars was once a wet environment. However, the finding does not offer any additional clues regarding if the water was part of a lake or sea, or if it was groundwater that seeped through the rocks from below.
Small, spherical rocks dubbed "blueberries", found at the Opportunity Mars rover landing site, are rich in hematite, a mineral formed in the presence of water, scientists announced this week. The rocks, which are actually gray and the size of BBs, are too small for the rover to analyze individually, but the rover was able to find a concentration of them in a depression named the "berry bowl" within the crater the rover landed in. Analysis of that concentration shows that the blueberries contained significant amount of hematite compared to surrounding rocks. On Earth, hematite with crystals the size found in the blueberries usually form in the presence of water, providing additional evidence that this region of Mars was once a wet environment. However, the finding does not offer any additional clues regarding if the water was part of a lake or sea, or if it was groundwater that seeped through the rocks from below.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Apex becomes billion-dollar company with $200 million Series D round
Posted: Sun, Sep 14 4:09 AM ET (0809 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, September 17
Falcon 9 launch of Starlink satellites scheduled for Wednesday morning
KEYT-TV Santa Barbara, CA — 1:34 am ET (0534 GMT) Colorado Springs springs into action amid loss of Space Command
Washington Times — 1:34 am ET (0534 GMT) SpaceX rocket-launching license survives NEPA challenge
POLITICO — 1:30 am ET (0530 GMT) SpaceX Eyes First Starship Version 3 Launch In ’25 Or ’26
Aviation Week — 1:29 am ET (0529 GMT) Judge dismisses suit challenging SpaceX's Starship approval
Houston Chronicle — 1:28 am ET (0528 GMT) |
