Thanks for the links, Tom.

I was wondering about the East side of the crater myself, until I correlated those internal white patches with the lower, possibly slumped, outcrops. As far as I can tell, the edge of the crater is the outside of the white band in the overhead shot. Here's that view again: (Oh, I put the rover at about 280 degrees on this photo, right on the outside of the white band.)

Just downloaded the 3 meg tiff 180 view. I've been looking at the stereo pairs and the early images posted here on HZ. Thanks everyone! So much here. Let the geology begin!

Arm-wavings (numbers refer to the azimuth markings on the linked image):

Opportunity sits on a dip-slope of the "white unit" which slopes into the center of the crater. That is, we are seeing the top of a stratigraphic bedding plane that is parallel to the slope. Sample this unit to determine if it is the same as Opportunity Crater Unit.

This attitude of the rock units, "dipping into the crater" continues to the right, then changes to horizontal (~160) (faulted, or POV)? , then begins to dip away slightly from the crater. This is the attitude of the far wall. Going left again, the attitude of the rocks return through horizontal and back (~60 degrees) to dipping into the crater.

Beautiful dunes!

Are those weathered triangular slopes or are they slumps of material into the crater?

Sampling might have to be "Float samples"...rocks that have rolled down the slope. Sometimes, its all you can bag without breaking your neck. But the Mini TES should help place those float samples into context.

The rim might be the better route, but you miss out on the float of the lower stratigraphy; unless it has been ejected. There is an accessible outcrop of the dark, more massive unit on the rim at ~63 degrees.

That layered unit, at 140 to 150 is a good section, but oh so steep! Telescope on the next gen rovers, please.

Nick's right, there are some abrupt lithographic changes along stratigraphic intervals. Here on earth you'd shout "bioherm!" But if thats igneous rock, it could be a plug, or a cone... Especially the one at 90 degrees. The change in the far wall might be a change in perspective (~120), a fault, or a quick stratigraphic break.

It might not be as bad as it looks, slope wise. Remember how steep the first views of Opportunity Crater looked?

Interesting black rock right in front of the dunes at ~98 degrees.

Maybe this dark rock is similar to those small, blocky, dark rocks we've seen before. I recall that they were supposed to have the same composition as the blueberries, but I don't think they were ever directly sampled.

Are we seeing deeper into an unweathered mafic igneous rock? That the evaporites developed in-situ over the weathering rock? Thus not evaporated from a sea/lake/body of water? That a small amount of water, over lots o' time, deeply weathered the bedrock? (with occasional surface water and fluvial/aeolean modification) Almost a laterite, Mars style?

Is this where "Bounce" was born?

Must stop before I go too far, back to staring at the stereos.....

jms

I wish we had a good stereo pair of the overhead view of this crater.