火星上的花状岩石
(原标题: A Flower-Shaped Rock on Mars)
2022-03-09
浏览次数: 23
这是迄今为止在火星上发现的比较不寻常的岩石之一。这块石头比一便士硬币还小，它有几个附属物，在一些人看来，这就像一朵花。如果这块岩石真的是古代火星花的化石，这将是一个重大发现，但对于它不寻常的结构，有一些不那么引人注目的解释，也是目前更受欢迎的解释。目前出现的一种理论是，这种岩石是由水在现有岩石的裂缝或裂缝中沉积的矿物质形成的一种固结物。这些固结物可以压紧在一起，比周围的岩石更硬、密度更大，即使在周围的岩石被侵蚀后也能保留下来。花的结构也可能是由晶体团簇引起的。这块小岩石被命名为黑刺荆盐，与之前拍摄到的火星鹅卵石有相似之处。这张特色图片是由好奇号火星车于2月底在火星上拍摄的。科学家们将继续研究这些令人惊讶的火星岩石的数据和图像。回顾：去年的太空电影
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It is one of the more unusual rocks yet found on Mars. Smaller than a penny, the rock has several appendages that make it look, to some, like a flower. Although it would be a major discovery if the rock was truly a fossilized ancient Martian flower, there are less spectacular -- and currently preferred -- explanations for its unusual structure. One theory that has emerged is that the rock is a type of concretion created by minerals deposited by water in cracks or divisions in existing rock. These concretions can be compacted together, can be harder and denser than surrounding rock, and can remain even after the surrounding rock erodes away. The flower structure may also be caused by crystal clusters. The small rock, named Blackthorn Salt, has similarities to previously imaged Martian pebbles. The featured image was taken by the Curiosity rover on Mars in late February. Scientists will continue to study data and images taken of this -- and similar -- surprising Martian rocks. Review: Last Year in Space Pictures