The Hydrated Silicate Snowball Effect

[sgaileach1]

As the water slowly leeches by trickling osmosis through crevases and soil particulates, various crystallized concretions of the abundant silicon, copper, iron, aluminum, and other elements are formed which over time in the unique Martian atmosphere, temperature, gravity, and radiation conditions has given rise to the powdered crystalline hydrated silicate snow material we likely see here.<br /><br />http://www.iparadigm.org/planetary/images/frozen_spirit_tracks.jpg<br /><br />Of course my previous assertion (now lost in the void of the elder Space.com message boards) of a hydrated copper silicate component specifically was an arbitrary one, and was intended to accomplish little else then to suggest a possibly more recent time line for such processes as active subterranean thermal pockets and "syphon-sublimation" maintaining regional reservoirs of partial liquid water flow below the surface of Gusev, say within the last 3,000 to 10,000 years or so, with minute percolation perhaps occurring more recently then that or even at present, seasonally or otherwise. In truth any hydrated mineral combination would more or less indicate the same.<br /><br />As a matter of fact, the recent discovery of hematite in the 'Pot of Gold' outcroppings suggests this strange bluish-white crystal powder in the disturbed areas of the rover tracks may be some form of Goethe, a mixed hydrated Iron Oxide, in some stage of deterioration due to weathering by radiation, chemical oxidation, dehydration, and other processes, or even possibly larger deposits of combination specular and micaceous hematite, among other elements. <br /><br />http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/06/040627223018.htm<br /><br /><b>The mineral Goethe:</b><br /><br />"Goethite has had a reputation for making rather uninteresting, dull and "dirty

 

[sgaileach1]

<b>'String of Pearls' Up-Close</b><br /><br />"This image from the microscopic imager instrument on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows a feature called "String of Pearls" that resides within the area dubbed "Hanks Hollow." The "string" consists of a set of bright spots. These are the partially exposed interiors of rocks that were broken-up when Spirit's wheels roved across this surface. Scientists believe the rocks exposed in Hank's Hollow may have been generated or modified by water-rich fluids. The image was taken on sol 177 (July 2, 2004)."<br /><br />http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040712a.html