PIA02186: Revealing Roosevelt
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
 Spacecraft:  Opportunity
 Instrument:  Microscopic Imager
 Product Size:  2948 x 1193 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  Cornell University 
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA02186.tif (3.522 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA02186.jpg (269.1 kB)

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

This image mosaic from the microscopic imager aboard NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows detailed structure of a small fin-like structure dubbed "Roosevelt," which sticks out from the outcrop pavement at the edge of "Erebus Crater."

Roosevelt lines a fracture in the local pavement and scientists hypothesize that it is a fracture fill, formed by water that percolated through the fracture. This would mean the feature is younger than surrounding rocks and, therefore, might provide evidence of water that was present some time after the formation of Meridiani Planum sedimentary rocks.

The image shows fine laminations (layers about 1 millimeter or .04 inch thick) that run parallel to the axis of the fin. Some of the textures visible in the image likely indicate that minerals precipitated from the outcrop rocks, but sediment grains are also apparent.

The three frames combined into this mosaic were taken during Opportunity's 727th Martian day, or sol (Feb. 8, 2006). In subsequent days, the rover completed textural and chemical inspection of Roosevelt to help the science team understand this structure's significance for Martian history.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Cornell/USGS

Image Addition Date:
2006-02-17