Articles
From the March/April, 2008 PGMC 'Gem'

Don't miss the Potluck on April 24 for your chance to purchase some Larimar below market prices!

Larimar (also lorimar) is a rare blue variety of pectolite found only in the Dominican Republic, in the Caribbean. Its coloration varies from white, light-blue, green-blue to deep blue. The deep blue variant is known as volcanic blue.

Larimar is a variety of pectolite, or a rock composed largely of pectolite, an acid silicate hydrate of calcium and sodium. Although pectolite is found in many locations, none have the unique volcanic blue coloration of larimar. This blue color, distinct from that of other pectolites, is the result of cobalt substitution for calcium.

Miocene volcanic rocks, andesites and basalts, erupted within the limestones of the south coast of the island. These rocks contained cavities or vugs which were later filled with a variety of minerals including the blue pectolite. These pectolite cavity fillings are a secondary occurrence within the volcanic flows, dikes and plugs. When these rocks erode the pectolite fillings are carried downslope to end up in the alluvium and the beach gravels. The Bahoruco River carried the pectolite bearing sediments to the sea. The tumbling action along the streambed provided the natural polishing to the blue larimar which makes them stand out in contrast to the dark gravels of the streambed

Specifications

* Name: Larimar
* Family: Pectolite., Variety of: Pectolite, NaCa2Si3O8(OH), Sodium Calcium Silicate Hydroxide.
* Composition: Hydrated sodium calcium silicate with manganese.
* Origin: Caribbean
* Hardness: 4.5-5.
* Color: varies between white, light blue, sky blue, green-blue, and deep blue (aka "volcanic blue")
* Uses: ornamental stone and semi-precious stone.
* Cleavage: perfect in two directions, but not seen in this compact form.
* Crystal System: triclinic

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larimar

Field Trip: April 26, 2008

Colors - most of the gemrock material that has has been fashioned and marketed is some shade of green;  some massive vesuvianite with a good potential for future use as a gemrock is of one or some combination of the following colors:  white, yellow, reddish brown, lilac or even bluish;  also, some of the massive green vesuvianite, widely referred to as californite, no matter where it was recovered, has streaks or irregular speckles of one or more of these other colors.

      H. 6½ - 7
      S.G. 3.28-3.55
      Light transmission - subtransparent to subtranslucent
      Luster - dull to resinous to vitreous
      Breakage -  uneven or conchoidal
      Miscellany - attacked by HCl.  Pakistani vesuvianite exhibits an orange fluorescence when exposed to x-rays;  most California vesuvianite does not fluoresce, and the rare specimens that do exhibit a green fluorescence (Crowningshield, 1965-66, p.366).

        * Californite (a compact massive vesuvianite ± grossular) - this fine gemrock (see Figure A) has been marketed as American jade, California jade, Feather River jade, Happy Camp jade, Pulga jade, and Vesuvianite jade;  The use of these names, in my opinion, is unfortunate so far as recognition that massive vesuvianite should have as a gemstone -- see also related statements under the REMARKS subheading.

     * Cyprine - name sometimes given the sky-blue vesuvianite, some of which comprises compact masses, such as that associated spatially with the thulite variety of zoisite from Telemark, Norway.

     * Egeran - name frequently applied to a brown or yellowish green vesuvianite from Eger (Ohre) River region of westernmost Czech Republic (formerly Czechosolvakia).

    * Idocrase - o be applied rather widely to vesuvianite, no matter what the variety.

     * ... jade - see Californite. 

OCCURRENCES: In metamorphic rocks, especially in skarns -- i.e., impure limestones that have undergone contact metamorphism.

NOTEWORTHY LOCALITIES: Near Happy Jack mine, Siskiyou County and near Pulga, Butte County, California.

REMARKS: The mineral name vesuvianite, given by  Werner in 1795, was for its occurrence at  Mount Vesuvius, near Napoli (i.e., Naples), Campania, Italy, where it was found in metamorphosed limestone blocks that were engulfed within the lava.

http://www.cst.cmich.edu/users/dietr1rv/vesuvianite.htm  

Aquamarine: Birthstone for March
The gemstone aquamarine is the blue, or perhaps more correctly, blue-green or aqua variety of the mineral beryl. Aquamarine is the birthstone for March, and it is commonly recognized as the Zodiac stone for the constellation of Scorpio (although it is usually referred to as beryl in this regard). 

ther gemstone color varieties that are also the mineral beryl include emerald, morganite, and heliodor.

Aquamarine is colored by trace amounts of iron that find their way into the crystal structure. Most gem aquamarines have been heat treated to produce the popular blue-green colors from less desirable yellow or pale stones. The leading producer of aquamarines is the country of Brazil, which has many mines. Pakistan, as well as many U.S. localities, produce wonderful specimens as well. Recently, a new mine in China has produced large numbers of excellent flat (stubby) hexagonal crystals, for a fraction of the price of those beautiful Pakistan specimens.

Aquamarine is sometimes found in huge crystals (unlike emerald).  It is also known in a glassy form, often without showing crystal form, and sometimes with many holes or other odd shapes.  Other times a large cluster of prismatic crystals can be seen to all have the same alignment - a sign that it is really a single crystal with many faces.

VARIETY INFORMATION:

      * VARIETY OF: Beryl , Be3 Al2 Si6 O18 .

      * USES: Gemstone.

      * BIRTHSTONE FOR: March

      * COLOR: various shades of blue to blue-green

 .    * INDEX OF REFRACTION: 1.57 - 1.60

      * BIREFRINGENCE: 0.004 - 0.008

      * HARDNESS: 7.5 - 8

     * CLEAVAGE: one direction, poor.

     * CRYSTAL SYSTEM: hexagonal

     * Pleochroic: weak  

     http://www.galleries.com/minerals/gemstone/aquamari/aquamari.htm   

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Diamond is the ultimate gemstone, having few weaknesses and many strengths. It is well known that Diamond is the hardest substance found in nature, but few people realize that Diamond is four times harder than the next hardest natural mineral, corundum (sapphire and ruby). But even as hard as it is, it is not impervious. Diamond has four directions of cleavage, meaning that if it receives a sharp blow in one of these directions it will cleave, or split. A skilled diamond setter and/or jeweler will prevent any of these directions from being in a position to be struck while mounted in a jewelry piece.

As a gemstone, Diamond's single flaw (perfect cleavage) is far outdistanced by the sum of its positive qualities. It has a broad color range, high refraction, high dispersion or fire, very low reactivity to chemicals, rarity, and of course, extreme hardness and durability. Diamond is the April Birthstone.

In terms of it's physical properties, diamond is the ultimate mineral in several ways:
      * Hardness: Diamond is a perfect "10", simply the hardest substance known by a wide margin.

     * Clarity: Pure diamond is completely colorless and transparent over a larger range of wavelengths (from the ultraviolet into the far infrared) than is any other solid or liquid substance - nothing else even comes close.

     * Thermal Conductivity: Diamond conducts heat better than anything - five times better than the second best element, Silver! This characteristic is the basis for "diamond tests", as it is simple and cannot be faked.

     * Dispersion: Diamond has a relatively high optical dispersion which gives diamond the "fire" that makes it so desirable.

Diamonds may be nearly any color in the rainbow plus browns, grays, and white. Shades of yellow are most common, followed by colorless. Blue, black, reddish, and greenish are more valuable (some extremely so).

Diamonds are found in a type of rock called "Kimberlite", which comprises the core of certain volcanoes over especially thick portions of the earth's crust.  This hard stone is mined and then crushed between giant steel rollers.  The kimberlite is reduced to fine gravel, yet the extremely hard diamonds come out unharmed!  Water is added and a grease covered roller sorts the diamonds from the gravel, as the diamonds stick to the grease. Typically, a single carat of diamond is recovered from a ton of ore.

Diamonds are found in many areas including South Africa, Russia, and even in Arkansas in the USA.  In all cases, diamonds formed deep within the earth's mantle, and were brought to the surface in volcanic eruptions.  In many cases, the diamonds weathered out of the kimberlite by natural processes, and were transported downstream by water.  Many diamonds are mined in the resulting alluvial deposits in areas such as along the coast of South Africa.

http://www.galleries.com/minerals/elements/diamond/diamond.htm 

The San Andreas Fault

The San Andreas Fault is the sliding boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. It slices California in two from Cape Mendocino to the Mexican border. San Diego, Los Angeles and Big Sur are on the Pacific Plate. San Francisco, Sacramento and the Sierra Nevada are on the North American Plate. And despite San Francisco’s legendary 1906 earthquake, the San Andreas Fault does not go through the city. But communities like Desert Hot Springs, San Bernardino, Wrightwood, Palmdale, Gorman, Frazier Park, Daly City. Point Reyes Station and Bodega Bay lie squarely on the fault and are sitting ducks.

The plates are slowly moving past one another at a couple of inches a year - about the same rate that your fingernails grow. But this is not a steady motion, it is the average motion. For years the plates will be locked with no movement at all as they push against one another. Suddenly the built-up strain breaks the rock along the fault and the plates slip a few feet all at once. The breaking rock sends out waves in all directions and it is the waves that we feel as earthquakes.

The hallmark of the San Andreas Fault is the different rocks on either side of it. Being about 28 million years old, rock from great distances have been juxtaposed against rocks from very different locations and origins. The Salinian block of granite in central and northern California originated in Southern California, and some even say northern Mexico. Pinnacles National Monument in Monterey County is only half of a volcanic complex, the other part being 200 miles southeast in Los Angeles County and is known as the Neenach Volcanics.

The San Andreas Fault is more accessible than any other fault in the world. With California’s large population and temperate climate, there are many roads that snake along the fault. They are uncrowded and peaceful, perfect for family outings. There is abundant camping, bird watching, wild flowers and wildlife, rock collecting and natural beauty along the way. State and National parks are strung along the fault like beads on a string. All it takes is a good map, a comfortable car and a desire to see the world’s most famous fault.

http://geology.com/articles/san-andreas-fault.shtml

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Minerals from Another World
Follow the lastest discoveries from NASA, as Mars Rovers Spirit and Opportunity continue to explore, experiment and send back images from Mars.These rugged Rovers were expected to last about 3 months on the hostile Red Planet, before their batteries gave out and they fell silent. At the time of this writing, they have far exceeded expectations and have been exploring and sending data for over a year. I will continue to add these wonderful pictures as long as they keep coming.
Large Image of the Red Planet _ Mars Wallpaper: 800 x 600 __1024 x 768

Recent highlights:

7/20/07		Dust Storm Time Lapse Shows Opportunity's Skies Darken NASA's Opportunity rover is literally seeing some of its darkest days. Both Mars Exploration Rovers have been riding out a regional dust storm for several weeks. Conditions became particularly dreary in the Meridiani Planum region where Opportunity sits, perched on the edge of "Victoria Crater." Read more
2/5/07		Spirit's Winter Panorama (Labeled) Since April of 2006, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has been sojourning in a place called "Winter Haven," where the robotic geologist spent several months parked on a north-facing slope in order to keep its solar panels pointed toward the sun...Read More
8/7/06		Opportunity Approaches the Bowl of Beagle Crater: NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity acquired this false-color image of the rim of the 35-meter (115-foot) diameter Beagle Crater on Martian day, or sol, 894 (July 30, 2006) using the panoramic camera's 753-nanometer, 535-nanometer, and 432-nanometer filters. At the time the rover was about 25 meters (82 feet) from Beagle Crater, looking east-southeast. Read More
5/5/06		Spirit Beholds Bumpy Boulder: As NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit began collecting images for a 360-degree panorama of new terrain, the rover captured this view of a dark boulder with an interesting surface texture. The boulder sits about 40 centimeters (16 inches) tall on Martian sand about 5 meters (16 feet) away from Spirit. It is one of many dark, volcanic rock fragments -- many pocked with rounded holes called vesicles -- littering the slope of "Low Ridge." Read More
3/27/06		Spirit Says Goodbye to 'Home Plate': For the past several weeks, Spirit has been examining spectacular layered rocks exposed at "Home Plate." The rover has been driving around the northern and eastern edges of Home Plate, on the way to "McCool Hill." Before departing, Spirit took this image showing some of the most complex layering patterns seen so far at this location. Read More....
2/17/06		Revealing Roosevelt: This image mosaic from the microscopic imager aboard NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows detailed structure of a small fin-like structure dubbed "Roosevelt," which sticks out from the outcrop pavement at the edge of "Erebus Crater." Read More.
2/17/06		Spirit Hits a Home Run: This week, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit arrived at "Home Plate," a feature that, when seen from orbit, looks like the home plate of a baseball diamond. Home Plate is a roughly circular feature about 80 meters (260 feet) in diameter that might be an old impact crater or volcanic feature. Read More.
1/20/06		Salty Expression (False Color) NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit spent the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend analyzing a remarkable exposure of bright, loose material. Spirit discovered the material while driving toward "Home Plate" along the floor of the basin south of "Husband Hill" in Gusev Crater. These images from Spirit's panoramic camera (Pancam) show some of the most colorful deposits yet photographed on the surface of Mars. Read More
9/9/05		Two Moons Passing in the Night: Taking advantage of extra solar energy collected during the day, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit settled in for an evening of stargazing, photographing the two moons of Mars as they crossed the night sky. "It is incredibly cool to be running an observatory on another planet," said planetary scientist Jim Bell of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., lead scientist for the panoramic cameras on Spirit and Opportunity. Read More
9/1/05		Rind-Like Features at a Meridiani Outcrop: After months spent crossing a sea of rippled sands, Opportunity reached an outcrop in August 2005 and began investigating exposures of sedimentary rocks, intriguing rind-like features that appear to cap the rocks, and cobbles that dot the martian surface locally. Read More
6/10/05		A Moment Frozen in Time: On May 19th, 2005, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured this stunning view as the Sun sank below the rim of Gusev crater on Mars. This Panoramic Camera (Pancam) mosaic was taken around 6:07 in the evening of the rover's 489th martian day, or sol. Spirit was commanded to stay awake briefly after sending that sol's data to the Mars Odyssey orbiter just before sunset. Read more... Mars Sunset Wallpaper: 800x600 or 1024x768
4/29/05		'Lookout Panorama' from Spirit: This is the Spirit panoramic camera's "Lookout" panorama, acquired on the rover's 410th to 413th martian days, or sols (Feb. 27 to Mar. 2, 2005). The view is from a position known informally as "Larry's Lookout" along the drive up "Husband Hill." Read More 224K Image
4/21/05		Movie Clip Shows Whirlwinds Carrying Dust on Mars: This movie clip shows a dust devil scooting across a plain inside Gusev Crater on Mars as seen from the NASA rover Spirit's hillside vantage point during the rover's 456th martian day, or sol (April 15, 2005). The individual images were taken about 20 seconds apart by Spirit's navigation camera. Read More
4/11/05		Scientists Contemplate Tilting of Rock Layers on Mars: Gazing across the landscape of the "Columbia Hills" in Gusev Crater on Mars, scientists think they have been seeing hints of tilted rock layers across the area traversed by the rover...One possible explanation for these ridges is that they were formed by tilted layers of sediment that were more resistant to erosion and now stand in relief above the surrounding surface...Read More
2/4/05		Still Giving Thanks for Good Health: NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this full-circle panorama of the region near "Husband Hill" (the peak just to the left of center) over the Thanksgiving holiday, before ascending farther. Both the Spirit and Opportunity rovers are still going strong, more than a year after landing on Mars. Read More 360° animated view. (File Size: 6.9 mb; Quicktime: Download plugin)
1/19/05		Iron Meteorite on Mars: NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has found an iron meteorite on Mars, the first meteorite of any type ever identified on another planet. The pitted, basketball-size object is mostly made of iron and nickel. Readings from spectrometers on the rover determined that composition. Read More
11/4/04		Spirit Adds Clues About History of Rocks in Martian Hills Full Press Release Layers in 'Tetl': NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has examined the layered structure of this rock, called "Tetl," in the "Columbia Hills." This approximately true-color view was made from frames taken by Spirit's panoramic camera on the rover's 264th martian day....Read More
10/7/04		'Escher' Rock: This false-color image taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows a rock dubbed "Escher" on the southwestern slopes of "Endurance Crater." Scientists believe the rock's fractures, which divide the surface into polygons, may have been formed by one of several processes...Read More
8/6/04		"Endurance Crater's" Dazzling Dunes: (false-color): As NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity creeps farther into "Endurance Crater," the dune field on the crater floor appears even more dramatic. This false-color image taken by the rover's panoramic camera shows that the dune crests have accumulated more dust than the flanks of the dunes and the flat surfaces between them. Read More
7/16/04		Chlorine Goes Deep: This image taken by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the layers of bedrock that line the walls of "Endurance Crater." Opportunity has been inching down the crater walls, investigating distinct layers of rock for clues to Mars' buried past. The various layers are labeled here as "A" through "F." Targets within these layers, including millstone, are also indicated.Read More
6/25/04		'Endurance' Tells Story of Mars' History: This false-color image shows the area inside "Endurance Crater" that the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has been examining. The rover is currently investigating the distinct layers of rock that make up this region. Each layer is defined by subtle color and texture variations and represents a separate chapter in Mars' history. Read More
6/15/04		'Tennessee' Clues: This false-color image shows the area within "Endurance Crater," currently being investigated by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The rover is inspecting a hole it drilled into a flat rock (center) dubbed "Tennessee," which scientists believe may be made up of the same evaporite-rich materials as those found in "Eagle Crater." Read More
6/15/04		Crater of Clues: This 360-degree panorama shows "Endurance Crater" and the surrounding plains of Meridiani Planum. This is the second large panoramic camera mosaic of Endurance, and was obtained from a high point near the crater's south rim. Read More Large Panoramic Image
6/2/04		The Colors of "Endurance": This false-color image shows visible mineral changes between the materials that make up the rim of the impact crater known as "Endurance." The image was taken by the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity using all 13 color filters. The cyan blue color denotes basalts, whereas the dark green color denotes a mixture of iron oxide and basaltic materials. Reds and yellows indicate dusty material containing sulfates. Read More
4/15/04		Mars Rover Finds Rock Resembling Meteorites That Fell to Earth: NASA's Opportunity rover has examined an odd volcanic rock on the plains of Mars' Meridiani Planum region with a composition unlike anything seen on Mars before, but scientists have found similarities to meteorites that fell to Earth. Read More
4/15/04		Smooth Side of 'Route 66': This image was taken by the microscopic imager onboard NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 99 (April 13, 2004). It is a close-up look at a portion of the rock called "Route 66," which was brushed by the rover's rock abrasion tool. This image intrigues scientists because it looks very different from the microscopic images taken of other brushed rocks at the Gusev Crater location. Read More
4/1/04		Spirit Finds Multi-Layer Hints of Past Water at Mars' Gusev Site: Clues from a wind-scalloped volcanic rock on Mars investigated by NASA's Spirit rover suggest repeated possible exposures to water inside Gusev Crater, scientists said Thursday. Gusev is halfway around the planet from the Meridiani region where Spirit's twin, Opportunity, recently found evidence that water used to flow across the surface. Read More
3/23/04		Standing Body of Water Left Its Mark in Mars Rocks: NASA's Opportunity rover has demonstrated some rocks on Mars probably formed as deposits at the bottom of a body of gently flowing saltwater. "We think Opportunity is parked on what was once the shoreline of a salty sea on Mars," said Dr. Steve Squyres of Cornell University...Read More
3/18/04		Spirit's Destination (panorama): This panoramic image mosaic from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit panoramic camera, shows the rover's destination toward the hills nicknamed the "Columbia Hills," on the right. The rover's heatshield can be seen on the left as a tiny bright dot in the distance, just under the horizon. Dark drift material can be seen in the image center. Read More Large Panoramic Image
3/18/04		Mineral in Mars 'Berries' Adds to Water Story: A major ingredient in small mineral spheres analyzed by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity furthers understanding of past water at Opportunity's landing site and points to a way of determining whether the vast plains surrounding the site also have a wet history. Read More
3/18/04		A Bowl of Hematite-Rich 'Berries': This graph shows two spectra, or light signatures, of outcrop regions near the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site. The blue line shows data for a region dubbed "Berry Bowl," which contains a handful of the sphere-like grains dubbed "blueberries." Read More
3/2/04		The Texture of El Capitan: This image, taken by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, shows a close up of the rock dubbed "El Capitan," located in the rock outcrop at Meridiani Planum, Mars. This image shows fine, parallel lamination in the upper area of the rock, which also contains scattered sphere-shaped objects ranging from 1 to 2 millimeters (.04 to .08 inches) in size. Read More
3/11/04		The Minerals at 'El Capitan': The white curve in this image shows the spectrum, or light signature, of a region of rock outcrop dubbed "El Capitan" near the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site. The data were taken by rover's miniature thermal emission spectrometer instrument, located on its panoramic camera mast assembly. Read More
3/2/04		Opportunity Rover Finds Strong Evidence Meridiani Planum Was Wet: Scientists have concluded the part of Mars that NASA's Opportunity rover is exploring was soaking wet in the past. Evidence the rover found in a rock outcrop led scientists to the conclusion. Clues from the rocks' composition, such as the presence of sulfates, and the rocks' physical appearance, such as niches where crystals grew, helped make the case for a watery history. Read More
3/2/04		Mineral Tells Tale of Watery Past: This spectrum, taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's Moessbauer spectrometer, shows the presence of an iron-bearing mineral called jarosite in the collection of rocks dubbed "El Capitan." "El Capitan" is located within the rock outcrop that lines the inner edge of the small crater where Opportunity landed. The pair of yellow peaks specifically indicates a jarosite phase, which contains water in the form of hydroxyl as a part of its structure. Read More
2/20/04		Plotting and Scheming: This graphic is a planning tool used by Mars Exploration Rover engineers to plot and scheme the perfect location to place the rock abrasion tool on the rock collection dubbed "El Capitan" near Opportunity's landing site. "El Capitan" is located within a larger outcrop nicknamed "Opportunity Ledge." Read More
2/19/04		Opportunity Examines Trench As Spirit Prepares To Dig One: By inspecting the sides and floor of a hole it dug on Mars, NASA's Opportunity rover is finding some things it did not see beforehand, including round pebbles that are shiny and soil so fine-grained that the rover's microscope can't make out individual particles. Read More
2/13/04		Flaky "Mimi": This color image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's panoramic camera on Sol 40 is centered on an unusually flaky rock called Mimi. Mimi is only one of many features in the area known as "Stone Council," but looks very different from any rock that scientists have seen at the Gusev crater site so far. Read More
2/9/04		Mars Rock Formation Poses Mystery: This sharp, close-up image taken by the microscopic imager on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's instrument deployment device, or "arm," shows a rock target dubbed "Robert E," located on the rock outcrop at Meridiani Planum, Mars. Read More
2/4/04		Thar be Hematite!: This map of a portion of the small crater currently encircling the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows where crystalline hematite resides. Red and orange patches indicate high levels of the iron-bearing mineral, while blue and green denote low levels. Read More The Lure of Hematite ~ NASA Science 3/28/01 Why Hematite? ~ NASA 2/14/04
2/4/04		Mars Under the Microscope: This magnified look at the martian soil near the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site, Meridiani Planum, shows coarse grains sprinkled over a fine layer of sand. Read More..
1/28/04		A Geologist's Treasure Trove: This high-resolution image captured by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's panoramic camera highlights the puzzling rock outcropping that scientists are eagerly planning to investigate. Presently, Opportunity is on its lander facing northeast; the outcropping lies to the northwest. Read More Large Panoramic Image
1/20/04		The Mystery Soil: This high-resolution image from the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the region containing the patch of soil scientists examined at Gusev Crater just after Spirit rolled off the Columbia Memorial Station. Scientists examined this patch on the 13th and 15th martian days, or sols, of Spirit's journey. Read More
1/13/04		In the Far East: In the distance stand the east hills, which are closest to the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit in comparison to other hill ranges seen on the martian horizon. The top of the east hills are approximately 2 to 3 kilometers (1 to 2 miles) away from the rover's approximate location. This image was taken on Mars by the rover's panoramic camera. Read More Large Panoramic Image
1/12/04		Mars in Full View: This is a medium-resolution version of the first 360-degree panoramic view of the martian surface, taken on Mars by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's panoramic camera. Part of the spacecraft can be seen in the lower corner regions. Read More Large Panoramic Image

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