A Gem of A Find
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona · Download full size image
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed Martian rocks containing a hydrated mineral similar to opal. The rocks are light-toned and appear cream-colored in this false-color image taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera. Images acquired by the orbiter reveal that different layers of rock have different properties and chemistry. The opal minerals are located in distinct beds of rock outside of the large Valles Marineris canyon system and are also found in rocks within the canyon. The presence of opal in these relatively young rocks tells scientists that water, possibly as rivers and small ponds, interacted with the surface as recently as two billion years ago, one billion years later than scientists had expected. The discovery of this new category of minerals spread across large regions of Mars suggests that liquid water played an important role in shaping the planet's surface and possibly hosting life.
Posted on: 11 Dec, 2008
- Mariner 4 -- Mars
- Mariner 6 & 7 -- Mars
- Mariner 9 -- Mars
- Mariner 10 -- Mercury
- Viking to Mars
- Magellan to Venus
- Mars Pathfinder
- Deep Space 1
- Mars Climate Orbiter
- Mars Polar Lander
- Sputnik
- Explorer
- Vanguard
- Cassini/Huygens Mission
- Clementine Moon Mapping
- Galileo
- Genesis
- Giotto ESA
- Lunar Orbiter
- Lunar Prospector
- Mars Global Surveyor
- Mars 2001 Odyssey
- Mars 96 (Russian)
- NEAR
- Nozomi to Mars (JAPAN)
- Mars Phobos (Russian)
- Pioneer to Venus
- Pioneer 10
- Pioneer 11
- Ranger Lunar Mission
- Sakigake Comet Halley
- Suisei Comet Halley
- Surveyor Moon Mapping
- Ulysses
- Vega 1 (Russia)
- Vega 2 (Russia)
- Venera to Venus (Russian)
- Voyager
- Zond Soviet Lunar Missions
- Mars Exploration Rover - Spirit
- Mars Exploration Rover - Opportunity
- Mars Express
- Mars Rovers - Artwork
- Mars Rovers - Spacecraft
- Deep Impact
- Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
- Stardust
- Venus Express
- STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory)
- Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (HiRISE)
- New Horizons
- STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) 3-D Sun Images
- MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer)
- MESSENGER
- MODIS Image Of The Day Archive
- Phoenix Mars Lander
- Chandrayaan-1
Latest Thoughts
Center of Our Galaxy Revealed by Hubble
Keeping Resolutions: Experts Sound Off
Sleep Deprivation: What it Does to the Body
The Dangers of Third Hand Smoke
Google Tracks Flu Through Internet Searches
Many Americans Have Hidden Sleep Disorders
RSS Feeds