Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidU
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Hi David,
Thanks for posting the link.
This has to be the most tantalizing image yet.
When you examine the image, the dark region towards the center looks very compelling.
Though I am no geologist, this looks like the remnant of a dried up creek bed and it
was one of the main reasons this landing site was chosen.
I would speculate that these darker areas correspond to the clay deposits that
geologists using orbiter imagery had originally spotted. And the geologists
have said where there is clay, there once must have been water flow.
If it were on Earth and you were Bear Grylls and had just parachuted into there,
surely you would make a beeline to the dark area at the foot of the mountains
as your best chance of digging to find water. The water may long be gone
but it will be intriguing to see the evidence up close of where it had been.
As a footnote, readers may like to be reminded that Gale Crater was named after
Sydney amateur astronomer Walter Gale, who passed away in 1945.
His biography appears here –
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/gale...frederick-6269
Images copyright JPL/NASA.
First image shows dark area - are these the
fluvial clay deposits?
Second image shows landing zone in rim of crater. Note the darker regions which are believed to be fluvial deposits.
Do these correspond to what we are seeing in the ground based image?