Rock Hounding on Mars - 003

Rock Hounding on Mars with Spirit
Vesicular Basalt and Scoria
Panoramic Camera :: Sol 732

Image Courtesy NASA

Vesicular Basalt on Earth

Image Source: NASA #2 2P191347156EFFAN00P2555L7M1.JPG

NASA: SOL 732 Gallery

Scoria (Vesicular Basalt)
Panoramic Camera :: Sol 735
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Image Courtesy NASA

Panoramic Camera :: Sol 736
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Image Courtesy NASA

Panoramic Camera :: Sol 740
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Image Courtesy NASA

NASA: SOL 735 Gallery
NASA: SOL 736 Gallery
NASA: SOL 740 Gallery

Scoria (Vesicular Basalt)
Panoramic Camera :: Sol 741
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Image Courtesy NASA
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Image Courtesy NASA

NASA: SOL 741 Gallery

Sand-polished Fine-grained Basalt Venifacts
Panoramic Camera :: Sol 733
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Image Courtesy NASA
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Image Credit: Dave Beedon

Wind Worn Basalt on Earth
Black Basalt turns gray on weathering, either by wind or water.
In the image below we see the "Hoodoos" carved by wind in the Western USA
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Image Credit: Matthew Maus

Weathered Basalt "Hoodoos"

So called "Fairy Chimneys." Natural formation resulting from erosion of ash layer around a column protected from erosion by a basalt boulder on top. Ash layer (400ft thick) deposited by 3 volcanoes in area several million years ago. Ground level used to be where boulders are on top of columns today.

According to NASA Basalt on the Moon is not weathered and has a green tint

Apollo 12 basalt 12008. This sample has a mass of 58 grams and is up to 5 centimeters across. NASA/Johnson Space Center photograph S70-44091. - Lunar Sample Overview ..

Image Source: NASA #7 2P191436231EFFANBZP2557L5M1

NASA: SOL 733 Gallery

Panoramic Camera :: Sol 736
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Image Courtesy NASA

Panoramic Camera :: Sol 737
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Image Courtesy NASA

NASA: SOL 736 Gallery
NASA: SOL 737 Gallery

Sand-polished Fine-grained Basalt Venifacts
Panoramic Camera :: 743
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Image Courtesy NASA
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Image Courtesy NASA

NASA: SOL 743 Gallery

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