Von Braun hill & Goddard on Mars?

[3488]

Just thinking & going back through older MER A Spirit images.

Any ideas as to what the Von Braun hill & Goddard crater on it's side are?

Whilst more recently Spirit has been approaching them before getting stuck in Troy on the west side of Home Plate, MER A Spirit has imaged them before a while back in the sols around Sol 1,340 to 1,348.

Herem below when MER A Spirit was on top of Home Plate back on Sol 1,348, Von Braun was is plain view, but from a view point slightly higher up than now.

Here again, back on Sol 1,350.

Here again on Sol 1,353. This view point is very close to where Spirit is currently stuck (at the base of that next promontory). Spirit is currently stuck at the western base of Home Plate, where as here she was close to the western edge at the top of Home Plate.

All of the obove are what, nearly two years ago, approx 600 sols ago.

Any ideas what this curious hill actually is? That cap is most peculiar.
Sol 1,869, cop of Von Braun, crop & enlargement.

My guess is that it is a small, but heavily eroded, long since inactive rootless cone. Goddard a possible more recent steam explosive crater vent.

Any advances??

Andrew Brown.

 

[Boris_Badenov]

Von Braun hill bears more than a passing resemblance (to my untrained eye) to a sedimentary badlands formation.

 

[3488]

Von Braun hill bears more than a passing resemblance (to my untrained eye) to a sedimentary badlands formation.

Thank you very much Boris, very interesting answer.

I do think that hydrology has been involved here, being a potential rootless cone that would be so. The terrain is certainly volcanic, but much has been modified by the action of water possibly in the form of steam (i.e the sulphates, in Spirit's tracks), geyser activity. Certainly fumeroles were here too.

I as yet to see eveidence of standing water at this site to form sedimentary rocks, but of course, they could still be here. The layering of Home Plate initially looked sedimentary until Spirit found the layers to be alternate ash & lava instead.

Interesting answer Boris & you may not be wrong, lets hope Spirit gets unbogged in the dust & gets there.

This is a fascinating site for sure. Not really why Gusev was chosen as Spirit's landing site, but I am liking it very much.

Andrew Brown.