Opportunity Sol 314 Images
Color images assembled from the raw data
Sol 314 thumbnails from inside Endurance Crater (just before Opportunity exits the crater). The images show clear evidence of water action. Geysers have carved the rock faces out and formed stems in many cases. Flowing water has shaped the edges of the stone slabs and left them exposed. Broken rock reveals that the interior is darker and contains more iron oxide, while the exterior has been washed clean and is pale.
Color is from noted frames under each image. Click the frame for direct link to NASA/JPL original data.
Click each image for the full sized view.
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stereo image (left picture)
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| water eroded sedimentary rock | right camera view of same | |
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| excellent view of crater
wall and sky
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right view of same | |
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color stereo image (left picture)
Click for color stereo close up (left half of image) Click for color stereo close up (right half of image) |
| rock fractured when rover
passed over it; interior is dark orange, exterior is much lighter.
Water has removed iron oxides from the rock surface.
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right camera view in
violet and near-infrared with synthetic green.
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Click for full
color stereo image (left picture)
Click for color stereo close up (left half of image) Click for color stereo close up (right half of image) |
| rock shows extensive water erosion directed at lamina from a geyser- note stems in formation. All point toward the geyser vent. | right camera view in
violet and near-infrared with synthetic green
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Click for full
color stereo image (left picture)
Click for color stereo close up (left half of image) Click for color stereo close up (right half of image) |
| action from geysers has scooped out the rock and formed stems all oriented in the same direction | right camera view in violet and near-infrared with synthetic green- the yellow discoloration at the margins of the solar cells is due to the spectral differences |
The most significant images are from the last two scenes. They show that there are stems forming and that they point in the same direction, the source of a geyser. They also reveal that the rock is trenched and that the force performing this erosion is identical to that forming the stems. The soil around the margin of this rock also shows that particles have been sorted, completely consistent with the action of water. Finally, the flow of the water around the stone slab has undercut it and reveals layering at the front lower edge that can only be the result of erosion caused by a fluid in motion, transporting abrasive particles. Water is the single solution to all of these features.