Page 55 - (DK) Eyewitness - Mars

Flower-shaped
brushing form

Deeper drill hole

A ROCK NAMED “MAZATZAL” CLOSE UP VIEW OF MAZATZAL
On its 76th day on Mars—sol 76—spirit approached Mazatzal, Spirit’s Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) brushed surface dust from six
the light-toned boulder 6.6 feet (200 cm) wide that spans this points on Mazatzal’s surface. The brushing created a flower shape
image. After closely studying data collected by Spirit’s that gave room for spectrometer examination. Deeper RAT drilling
instruments, scientists on Earth found indications of past water in exposed interior rock for microscopic photographs that showed
this rock. Mazatzal was named for a mountain range in Arizona. tiny cracks containing evidence of water’s presence long ago.

Blueberry-like rock formations

“BERRY BOWL” STONE SHAPES
On sol 42, Opportunity
moved along a rock
outcrop leading from
El Capitan and arrived
at a formation named
“Berry Bowl.” About
the size and shape of
BB pellets, blueberry-
like formations there
appear to have been
deposited in salty
water. The mineral
hematite, which usually
LAYERS CREATED UNDER WATER forms in the presence of
On its 41st sol, Opportunity used the Microscopic Imager water, was found here. NASA
to show details of this rock in Eagle Crater. The layers display put this image in “false color” to
“crossbedding” features that occur on Earth when sediment is make the stones look like berries. This
laid down by flowing water. In this crater, the rover found is achieved through the use of infrared,
jarosite, a mineral that needs water to take form. green, and violet filters.

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