Planetary Society logo
  • “Exploration is in our nature.” - Carl Sagan

Grooves, Stone Stripes, and an Answer Blowin’ in the Wind

Grooves, Stone Stripes, and an Answer Blowin’ in the Wind
Grooves, Stone Stripes, and an Answer Blowin’ in the Wind From troughs to stone stripes and scoured rocks, Opportunity has found all kinds of geological goodies in Perseverance. The Pancam team at Arizona State University (ASU) processed the image of the troughs (left) in false color, a technique scientists use to better discern the various geological elements in the scene. The troughs and the stone stripes (middle) remain enigmas for now, but the etched rock Mesilla (right), at the La Bajada site “really caught” the scientists’ attentions, because its “flow tails” indicate direction of erosional flow. “That direction,” said Squyres, “is uphill.” And that points to wind erosion, not water flow. NASA / JPL-Caltech / Cornell / ASU