Okay, I'm interested by the marsgeo.com site. Specifically, this picture.

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/1/m/177/1M143895966EFF3336P2957M2M1.JPG

Now, I'm wondering... Some folks have claimed that these spherules are caused by water seeping through cracks or what have you and somehow forming perfect spheres? How do they form perfect spheres by seeping through rock?

More specifically, look at the "blueberry" in the upper left of this photo. This appears to eb two interlocking blueberries of differing size. I'm wondering how the "seepage" theory explains this type of formation? I mean, seriously, how does something like "melded blueberries" form by seepage? Into nearly perfect spheres, except that they're basically welded together? And when we look at nearly identical spherules from Earth like Moqui Marbles, we often see thay're perfectly sealed and contain bubbles in the middle? If this were by seepage (into "perfect" spherical holes mind you), wouldn't they tend to layer from the bottom toward the center of gravity (center of the Earth or Mars). And wouldn't bubbles be at the "top" in essence giving you a roughly flat surface on that side if the spherical enclosure was not completely filled. It seems like nonsense to me to say that somehow bubbles would form suspended in the middle rather than rising to the top, with liquids flowing downward to the botom...? Perhaps someone can explain?

Examples:

(Ignore the article unless you really want to view an alternate explanation/theory. Just an example of the bubbles I'm referring to, perfectly sealed.)
http://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/2004/arch/040827mars.htm
http://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/2004/images/040827mars.jpg
http://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/2005/images05/050328hematite.jpg

(so-called "Moqui marbles" or "shaman stones" or "thunderballs" found on Earth.)
http://www.utah.edu/unews/releases/04/jun/marsmarbles.html

(Sand concretions from California. Interestingly, many of these have been found laid precisely parallel, end-to-end under layers of fine gravel/sand and sediment, stretching for meters, sometimes even fifty to a hundred meters, points all facing north in the same direction, with no crossed spikes or interweaving. Very odd.)
http://home.att.net/~amcimages/edwards.html
http://home.att.net/~amcimages/imperialvalleyconcretions.html

(Concretion patches in California.)
http://www.desertusa.com/mag98/oct/papr/geo_conc.html

(Abstract about plasma-generated spherules similar to moqui marbles, martian blueberries, etc. Sorry I couldn't find the actual full article in the few minutes I'm taking to write this post. This'll have to do for now. I'll see if I can track it down. Note it mentions both regular spherules AND conjoined spherules!)
http://absimage.aps.org/image/MWS_APR05-2004-000006.pdf

Photos of blueberries versus electrically generated spherules in the lab. Cross reference with plasma-generated spherules in the prior article geenrally being composed of hematite... Makes for an interesting analogy...
http://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/2005/arch05/050325blueberries.htm

(On a slightly related note...)
http://home.att.net/~artarchives/weight/haroldweight.html

The above is a cool article insofar as it has a number of "concretions" or "sand spikes" in photos showing varios stages of formation, and modes of formation. If you'll notice the "cauliflower formations" at the bottom of the page, you'll note that some of them have a distinct nub coming off of them in one direction, with the majority of the mass in the "cauliflower" formation. But you can also see some where that nub is more and more elongated, with the cauliflower-ness giving way to a less cauliflower-like spherical formation.

In the photo above it, you can see very similar forms in the ball-and spike formation. It seems to me that these formations are quite related. And it seems like the longer the spikes on the "cauliflower" formation are, the less they look like cauliflowers and the more they look like the balls in the photos just above. I can't be sure, but there almost seems to be a correlation between the length of the "spike" and how spherical the ball gets. Obviously the samling is WAY too low to draw that kind of comparison. It's just a first impression.

Now, IF one were to make a large leap (I know it's large, so cut me a little slack here) and look at this from an electrical perspective. We know that discharge machining in the lab creates spherules. We know that plasma processes are involved in spherule generation also from lab tests in some of the above articles by Peratt, Thornhill et al (one might even make the leap that electrical arcing and plasma involvement are BOTH related in EDM, seeing as the electricity ionizes the air and other material, thus creating a plasma, and plasmas are generally conductive, so in some ways it's a circular argument; not necessarily a bad circular argument, just stating that electricity and plasma are linked for intents and purposes). Now, what if, on a whim, we were to accept it as true that electricity can machine larger-than-sand-grain concretion off a surface (assuming a large enough charge is involved). What would it look like? I would think that as the surface is exposed to the charge it would begin to heat, then to melt. It would begin to be pulled away from the surface (or pushed away, depending on perspective and how the charge actually works). But it would likely pull a string of the stuff up into the flow as it's undergoing the process of concretion. Now, what would happen if the arc was turned off before the entire set of material had been excavated or flowed off the surface? Would we get a partial concretion with a ball at the leading edge and a "spike" or cylinder of material on the trailing edge (or vice versa; a spike/cylinder going up and a ball at the trailing edge, though I'd tend to think the bll would form at the leading edge since it's been exposed to the electrical arc and plasma for slightly longer)? Now, what if the arc/current was not perpendicular to the plane, but was along the plane? or at a shallow angle? Could we get partial concretions along a preferential line, like we see in California concretions? IE, would the excavated materials follow the path of the arc and, if the arc were short enough in duration, be laid down approximately parallel, end-to-end preferentially (one POSSIBLE explanation for the bizarre nature of why the points were all aligned north, with none of the dug-up samples's spikes overlapping or pointing off in weird directions, as might havebeen expected if these were some sort of fossilized seaweed or kelp as was initially suspected)?

I know, I know, off beat thought experiment. But, as always, "what if?" Granted, it would require thinking about electrical charges, possibly in some cases larger than what we're used to seeing. (Could lightning be powerful enough, either in a negative stroke or in a longer more powerful positive stroke, to create these kinds of oddities of nature via machining? Don't know, but it's "interesting.")

Long and short of it, like the water seepage "theories" of "blueberry" creation, I'm not extraordinarily sold on the "seepage" theory of "razorbacks" either (especially when other possibly viable theories haven't especially been considered).

The razorbacks appear to be quite sharp shapes with little to no erosion on the sandy/dusty/windy Mars surface? Shouldn't they be worn down and rounded rather than sharp and pointy-ish?

Obviously nothing concrete here, just some interesting problems with and counterpoints to the ol' seepage theories of "blueberries" & possibly "razorbacks".

Sorry I didn't go into as much detail on "razorbacks". New subject and I haven't "completely" read up on them yet. But what I have read from all sides has been interesting. :)

I know that blueberries and razorbacks aren't "definitely" related, however similar processes have been used to try to explain both. But, somehow I just don't see it, or at least am not thoroughly convinced that current theories take into account various anomalies that have been found, like bubbles, bubbles with oil in moqui marbles, bubbles with pebbles in moqui marbles, bubbles filled with other minerals, etc.

Anywho, enjoy! Feel free to discuss or whatnot. and I know it's offbeat and slightly off-the-cuff expanation, so no need to point it out. ;] But I'm sure someone will for the heck of it.

Okay, I'm done...