The top image is a view to the northeast of the lander and is annotated
to show the variety of rocks in this landing site and what they tell us.
The red arrows point to rounded boulders and rocks, thought to have been
shaped by the forces of water in flood (rough edges knocked off by the tumbling
action of the water). The blue arrows indicated rocks with sharp edges and
points, most probably ejected from nearby impact craters and/or ancient
volcanic activity. The white areas (of which Scooby Doo is one) are believed
to be deposits left behind by evaporating water, or aggregates of materials
fused together by the action of water.
The lower image is the clearest image yet of Yogi (with the Sojourner
Rover taking its Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer measurement). It clearly
shows the "two-toned" surface of this large rock. The nature of
this color difference is not known, however. It might consist of wind-blown
dust accumulated on the surface (the rock is leaning into the prevailing
wind) or might be evidence of a break from a larger boulder as it was deposited
in the ancient flood that scoured this area. |