A Geologist’s Treasure Trove

This high-resolution image captured by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's panoramic camera highlights the puzzling rock outcropping that scientists are eagerly planning to investigate. Presently, Opportunity is on its lander facing northeast; the outcropping lies to the northwest. These layered rocks measure only 10 centimeters (4 inches) tall and are thought to be either volcanic ash deposits or sediments carried by water or wind. Data from the panoramic camera's near-infrared, blue and green filters were combined to create this approximate, true-color image.

The Outcrop in a Nutshell
Figure 1 highlights various rock targets within the outcrop lining the inner edge of the small crater where the rover landed. Opportunity recently finished examining the rock dubbed "Last Chance," then rolled over to "Wave Ripple," a section of rock in the region nicknamed "The Dells." Tomorrow, March 6, 2004, Sol 41, the rover will take a series of "touch-and-go" microscopic images at "Wave Ripple," before heading to another rock region with targets named "Slick Rock" and "Berry Bowl."