Evidence from Opportunity's Microscopic Imager for water on Meridiani Planum

Authors :: Herkenhoff, K.E.
Squyres, S.W.
Arvidson, R.
Bass, D.S.
Bell, III, J.F.
Bertelsen, P.
Ehlmann, B.L.
Farrand, W.
Gaddis, L.
Greeley, R.
Grotzinger, J.
Hayes, A.G.
Hviid, S.F.
Johnson, J.R.
Jolliff, B.
Kinch, K.M.
Knoll, A.H.
Madsen, M.B.
Maki, J.N.
McLennan, S.M.
McSween, H.Y.
Ming, D.W.
Rice, Jr., J.W.
Richter, L.
Sims, M.
Smith, P.H.
Soderblom, L.A.
Spanovich, N.
Sullivan, R.
Thompson, S.
Wdowiak, T.
Weitz, C.
Whelley, P.
Source :: Science. December 3, 2004, Vol. 306 Issue 5702, p1727, 4 p.
Publication Year :: 2004
Abstract: The Athena science payload on the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission includes the Microscopic Imager (MI), a camera designed to provide views that are similar to that seen through a [...]<br />The Microscopic Imager on the Opportunity rover analyzed textures of sois and rocks at Meridiani Planum at a scale of 31 micrometers per pixel. The uppermost millimeter of some soils is weakly cemented, whereas other soils show little evidence of cohesion. Rock outcrops are laminated on a millimeter scale; image mosaics of cross-stratification suggest that some sediments were deposited by flowing water. Vugs in some outcrop faces are probably molds formed by dissolution of relatively soluble minerals during diagenesis. Microscopic images support the hypothesis that hematite-rich spherules observed in outcrops and soils also formed diagenetically as concretions.