Burns cliff

I've never whined about the color, I take it all(pictures) with a large grain of salt anyway. There are actually a few places in Kansas where we do have "weeps" so I know what you're talking about. I see the distinct color changes where rover ran over the weeps. IF the pictures were taken on Earth I'd say sure, 90% probablity they're weeps. The problem is the more information we get from Mars the more appreciation I have that this place is ALIEN.

Oh, and Hortons steroe image post 52. IF that is NOT a mudflow, it is sure doing a good job of imitating one!

They just look like rounded boulders to me. No sign of either weeping or flow.

Jon

The pasty flow is most evident around the holes along the large block in the bottom left. My explanation for the flows leans towards frost (is snow possible??) accumulating in the intervening spaces between blocks. Frost and sulphate/salts in the soil would intermix. When heated by the sun, the salty frost could form a liquid phase which could turn the soil into a muddy paste. If there's a good accumulation of frost, the lower portion would be more insulated which would allow the paste more time to flow around surface spherules, flow around rock margins and drip into small caveties, as show in Horton's photo.

By the way, Horton, your colour photos and mosaics are amazing! Do you have a site up that shows all the photos you've created?

Hi Jon,

Can you explain the photos in posts 70 & 71 as anything other than a muddy flow from under the rock slabs?

To me the down crater end of the rock slab in the post 71 shots seems to be lower than the surrounding soil level and suggests it is sinking into the crater wall as the occasional hot summer day muddy flow removes soil from under it.

Oops

Alter post 70 shots to post 77 shots.
Alter post 71 shots to post 78 shots.

Hi aldo12xu,

All the images are available in various posts to this blog. Just google for hortonheardawho to find them.

I have, let me see, posted about 1200 images so far.

I have many that I haven't posted because of a general lack of interest.

For example, I did all the L2/L5 color images in the last week, and asked if anyone wanted particular images -- but no one has requested any.

No one seems interested in the 3D MIs any more.

I guess the people blogging here have seen enough to support whatever theory they have decided is "true" and don't need to look at any more images from Mars.

It amazes me to see entire topics without any images from the mission!

Some people ( I will not name names -- you know who you are ) -- have abstracted the Areology to the point of not even needing to look at the pictures to reach a conclusion:

Hey, it's a rock!

Er, Do you have some image you would like to see?

Hi Jon, this is a parallel method stereo view of the area I was talking about:

Horton: I haven't been staying on top of this forum as did in the spring, so I haven't been able to follow your postings (or even NASA's latest raw images). It'd be good to go to a site and see the "Best of Horton". I have lots of room on my site and I'd be glad to host them. For the now, though, I wouldn't have the time to set it up but maybe in 3 or 4 weeks if you're interested.

All the best,
Aldo.

One effect that could be causing some of these weird features is solid phase change. Excuse my wild speculation. I'm used to thinking outside the box, and if this doesn't conform to widespread terrestrial examples that 'obviously' have analogs on Mars, then I apologise in advance.

We know that at the Viking 2 site, ground frost was common during winter days.

There could be times when ground frost also occurs at Endurance (possibly during the colder nights). Just possibly, the conditions are right for the chloride and bromide salts within the regolith to cause surface interaction with surface frost. Other anhydrous salts, being hydroscopic, will absorb water, forming hydrates, which will subsequntly slowly lose their water of crystallisation. Magnesium sulfate is an example.

Now this may appear to be a problem, since liquid phase requires temperatures above -60 C. However in some cases there is a negative enthalpy of solution - the absorption of superoxide (perhaps a minute contribution) is a case in point. A negative enthalpy of solution effectively means that heat will be transferred to the environment during the reaction.

Now this is a long-shot, but a substance that absorbs water and gives off heat could form a pasty flow (surrounded by a frozen crust) under Martian conditions.

Aldebaran,

An excellent hypothesis!!

Many salts do absorb water from the environment and might periodically flow under Mars-like conditions.

2x2 L2/L5/L7 color Panorama:

Small (0.5 MB) version

Large (2.3 MB) version

Original (7.3 MB) version

OK, what gives with the coarse, red dirt mixed with the fine gray dust?

Basic question: red drposite first or gray first?

Looks like gray on red to me -- but then why?

grey dust more mobile because it's finer?

Anyone?

These images have corresponding Right views if anyone is interested...

Sample 3D color L2/L5/L7 -- R1/R2 image of Burns Cliff:

Sigh.

Looks like we're not getting much closer from here on:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2004-276

I would guess that the gray stuff is the basaltic sand and the red grits is the ubiquitous martian dust. The red dust is actually finer but is bound up into little lumps by electrostatic forces. Remember those gritty-looking drifts at Gusev? The gray sand probably sifts down over the rim after drifting across the plains.

Another rock slab with "Mud Beds / Flats" built on the down crater side.

Jon, would you please explain what is happening here (actually both on the inside and outside crater slopes) if there has been NO flow from under the rock slab?

Horton,

I for one await your photos, bring them on!

Er, Microkid, which 'em do you want me to bring on? Surely not all of them?

be careful what you ask for Microkid

Horton,

I take it from past comments that you host your own server? If yes why not host your images for those who wish to use / view them.

If you don't have your own server others have said they will host your images.

Your colour images can greatly assist those who wish to learn more about Mars and either way they deserve to be posted as a resource for all.

You do good work. Why hide your light under a bush?

Yes, Horton, please, I'd love to see a right image of the photo in post 91.

It seems to me the red is eroded material derived from the blocks. The large block at top left in the photo from reply 52 seems to show an exfoliation pattern. Note how the individual layers are being exposed/stripped one after the other. Debris from this removal has collected below the block. This debris material would correspond to the red material in post 91.

The grey material is probably fine grained dust deposited by the the wind, as it not only lies on top of the red material but also on the blocks. But is this the same fine grained material that could mix with frost to create our pasty flows? Any colour pictures of pasty flows?