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Unusually Rich in Phosophorus
1/3/05
This graph compares the elemental makeup of a rock dubbed "Wishstone" with the average composition of rocks that Spirit examined on the western spur of the "Columbia Hills." Wishstone lies farther into the hills than that spur. It is richer in phosphorus than any other Mars rock ever examined. Scientists plan to examine other rocks near Wishstone to help explain the significance of the high phosphorus concentration. The vertical scale is the ratio of the concentration of an element in the hills rocks to the concentration of the same element in a typical volcanic rock from the plains that Spirit crossed to reach the hills.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/Max Planck Institute
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