PIA05586: 'Blueberry' Triplets Born in Rock
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
 Spacecraft:  Opportunity
 Instrument:  Microscopic Imager
 Product Size:  981 x 688 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  JPL
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA05586.tif (675.8 kB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA05586.jpg (160.7 kB)

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Original Caption Released with Image:
This microscopic image, taken at the outcrop region dubbed "Berry Bowl" near the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site, shows the sphere-like grains or "blueberries" that fill Berry Bowl. Of particular interest is the blueberry triplet, which indicates that these geologic features grew in pre-existing wet sediments. Other sphere-like grains that form in the air, such as impact spherules or ejected volcanic material called lapilli, are unlikely to fuse along a line and form triplets. This image was taken by the rover's microscopic imager on the 46th martian day, or sol, of its mission.
Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Cornell/USGS

Image Addition Date:
2004-03-18