Episode 176 A notably red slab of rock with some even more notable features has been the target of intense investigation for the past two weeks. Now Perseverance has dug into it with its abrading tool and opened up a deeper level of intrigue.

  • paulhammond5155@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
    4·
    4 months ago

    I’m not a geologist, but from what I understand the red colour is a good indicator of iron and oxygen at the time the sediments were laid down.

    • SpecialSetOfSieves@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      4 months ago

      I’m already committing the cardinal sin of discussing redox states on social media, Paul, so forgive me for adding this note:

      With all the groundwater that seemingly flowed within the rocks of this region, oxygen needn’t have been present at the time of deposition. Alteration/diagenesis seems to be pretty damned important here. (Further aside - non-geologists are always shocked to learn that oxygen is part of so many minerals and rocks to begin with. Maybe it’s easier to talk about free oxygen, the kind that isn’t already attached to the iron or magnesium of whatever…)