Scientists Get Details With Mars In 3-D Study Of Rock Named ‘Barnacle Bill’ Finds Volcanic Origins Likely

Scientists of the Mars Pathfinder mission Wednesday reported a new study of the rock dubbed “Barnacle Bill” that seemed to confirm its likely volcanic origins. The scientists also made public more breathtaking panoramic pictures of the rocky landing site at Ares Vallis.

The photographs showed more detail of the undulating contours of the plain where the Pathfinder spacecraft came to rest. In addition, image-processing technicians at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena completed the conversion of the photographs into three-dimensional segments for high-definition television.

Putting on special 3-D glasses, one could get an almost you-are-there sense of the view from Pathfinder, 119 million miles away on Mars. For one thing, the rocks close to the lander looked much smaller than they had in earlier pictures, but more numerous and closely spaced. Sojourner would have to pick its way carefully between the high rocks and over the low ones.

The gently rolling terrain showed up in sharper relief, particularly a meandering shallow channel just over a rise and beyond a row of tilted rocks. Sand or even finer-grained soil appeared to have blown into the channel.

“The science is just beginning,” Dr. Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, head of the photo-interpretation team, said as more data and pictures poured into the control center in Pasadena.

“The thrill is not gone,” Smith said. “Day by day, the interpretation is getting more sophisticated. There are tremendous discussions and a lot of formative ideas behind the scenes.”

Geologists said that Wednesday night the roving vehicle Sojourner was expected to begin its chemical analysis of a second rock, called “Yogi.” Over the next few days, the 23-pound robotic rover is to be moved to at least two other nearby rocks, which have caught the attention of geologists because of their whitish appearance. The nicknames for these two are “Casper” and “Scooby Doo.”

Dr. Matthew Golombek, the chief project scientist, said the white color implied that these rocks might have compositions and origins different from other rocks in the vicinity.

“We are very intrigued,” Golombek said of the white rocks.

On Tuesday, geologists announced the results of the first chemical analysis of a rock on Mars. From the surprising abundance of silicon in the rock, “Barnacle Bill,” Dr. Harry McSween of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville concluded that the rock contained a large amount of quartz and that this implied that it very likely originated in a volcanic eruption. McSween said it resembled the common terrestrial volcanic rock named andesite.

But McSween and other geologists said it was also possible that the rock might not be homogeneous, but a combination of different fragments melted and fused by a meteorite impact or deposited in as water-borne sediments.

The rough texture of “Barnacle Bill” encouraged some geologists to hypothesize that it was a combination of fragments, a type of rock known as a breccia.