One thing we need to remember about Meridiani is that the rock native to the area weathers quickly when compared to other areas of Mars. It leaves behind the ‘blueberries which make Meridiani appear so dark from orbit. This is why we do not see rocks littering the surface in this area.

Remember Bounce rock? It was not the same composition as the Eagle crater rocks, suggesting it originated elsewhere on Mars and was thrown there as ejecta by an impact.

This means that any rock we see on the surface was recently exposed or is not native to the region.

I am not sure why this meteor, near the heat shield ,is not sitting at the bottom of some crater covered in meters of “blueberries”. Perhaps the crater eroded away long ago. Maybe this is a fragment of the meteor that caused the Endurance crater and it was thrown over where it is.

BTW, how is the impact force of a falling object, be it a meteor or heat shied, spread out in the blueberry packed soil of the region? I would have expected the heat shield to have made a deeper crater, but it looks almost like it hit a very solid and hard surface.

I am reminded of a study about the effects of a nuclear explosion on a rubble pile asteroid verse a solid asteroid. It was theorized that the blast would have little effect on the rubble pile asteroid because the way the rubble would spread the force of the explosion. Would the countless little spheres making up the Meridiani soil do the same to an impact force? Does it take a lot of fource to cause a crater at Meridiani verse other areas of Mars?