Science Report
Date: 17 Dec 2012
Written by: April Davis
Today was long, arduous, and absolutely amazing. EVA 001 left the airlock promptly at 09:00am, and traveled northwest towards Hab Ridge. Towards the top of the hill Commander Reynolds told me to lead the team towards our first waypoint; he told me to stop if I saw anything interesting. I was immersed in the beauty of the Factory Butte and the plains and ridgeline separating us from it when I stopped to ask a question. As I turned I noticed that I was standing in a field of fossilized shells, so numerous that I couldn’t have avoided walking on them if I had noticed in time. I ran about collecting as many samples as my companions would allow me to stuff in their bags. After all, one could be different than the others. Further examination is needed to determine if these shells are in fact different. Towards the end of the “Oyster Field” when I knew that I definitely did not need more shells, I reached down for just ONE more (yeah, right). I was examining it when I noticed that I had more than a shell in my hand. The owner of that home was fossilized inside of the shell! At the time I thought, “I’m in geologist heaven,” but I had no idea of the beauty to come.
We walked on towards a reported “blueberry” site. Instead we found ourselves collecting iron oxide concretions while wandering through vast patches of the tiny burnt orange spheres. We continued, approaching the ridgeline and strolling along searching for the tiny spherules that resemble those found on Mars. Near the ridgeline I noticed what appeared to be a fossilized animal footprint; we will investigate this further on EVA 003. At this point, time was growing short and hunger was growing in our bellies; so, we returned to the hab for a hot lunch. We never made it to the blueberry patch, but we are hopeful that we will be able to incorporate it into our next EVA.
After lunch, I suited back up to lead EVA 002. As with the first EVA, our primary objective was familiarization with the EVA suit and with EVA protocols. Our secondary objective was finding what I thought may have been a petroglyph site during our initial trip to the hab. We trekked out to “The Gateway” but never found the exact site. However, we did find many sites that resembled what I thought to be petroglyphs. I am fairly certain, based on the sites that we located today, that what I saw were streaked tan and red-brown sandstone. Hardness test showed the rock to be between 2.5 to 3.5. The tan stone has a white streak, while the part of reddish stone has an orange-brown streak. Under a hand lens the texture appears granular. There is no HCL reaction, no magnetism, and no apparent cleavage. The interesting thing about these formations is that the reddish color is not just on the outside of the stone; they are thick stripes that go through the center of the stones (vice versa for the reddish stones with apparent tan stripes). I am awaiting feedback as to the likely cause of these phenomena.
The disappointment of not finding petroglyphs didn’t last long. As we made our way through the winding canyon-like pathway that is The Gateway, we came across numerous formations that looked nothing like the last. As we exited the passage we realized that we had happened upon “Kissing Camel Ridge.” A formation that is breathtakingly beautiful. We stood in awe, marveling at the enormous mound that truly resembles a camel. We explored the area, taking photos and marking coordinates that we requested by Jon Clarke of RST for a survey on the changing landscape.
I picked up a few pieces of chert and many other minerals that still need to be identified. After getting back to the hab and washing some of the rocks, I found that one large rock is actually a piece of petrified wood. The shape of the bark can be seen on one outer edge and rings can be seen from about one centimeter in to the edge. From the rings to the near center are about two centimeters of multi-colored vertical striations that give way to sharp, jagged horizontal striations that appear to be mostly olivine and chert. There are reddish vertical and horizontal striations, but I am not yet sure of the mineral type. I will continue investigating the rocks and minerals collected tomorrow after we return from EVA. I am sure that I will load up every member of my team, and they will smile and reassure me that the bag really isn’t very heavy. The day will be long, tiresome, and completely worth it. For science!