The Curiosity rover has found an exceptional rock formation that pierces the alien landscape of Mars. Between the shallow sands and rocks of Gale crater rise several twisted rock towers: the spikes of sediment look almost like streams of frozen water poured from an invisible jar into the sky.
In fact, experts say the columns were probably created from cement-like substances that once filled old cracks in the rock. As the softer rock gradually eroded, the meandering streams of compact material remained standing.
Rock formations found on Mars. (NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS)
The rock formations were captured by a camera aboard the Curiosity rover on May 17, but the image was only shared last week by NASA and experts at the SETI institute (meaning Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), as part of the SETI planetary image. initiative of the day.
#PPOD: Here’s another fantastic rock in Gale crater on Mars! Spikes are probably the cemented fillings of ancient fractures in a sedimentary rock. The rest of the rock was made of softer material and eroded. 📷: @NASA @NASAJPL @Caltech #MSSS fredk, acquired May 17th. pic.twitter.com/RGfjmRBfI7
– The SETI Institute (@SETIInstitute) May 26, 2022
Strange as the structures may seem, they are unprecedented.
In terrestrial geology, a “hoodoo” is a high, thin rock tip formed by erosion. It can also be called tent rock, fairy chimney or earth pyramid.
Hoodoos are often found in dry environments, such as the canyons of Utah or southern Serbia, and the columns can sometimes reach ten-story buildings.
A hoodoo in Bryce Canyon, Utah. (Don Graham / Flickr / CC BY SA 2.0)
Natural structures are formed by layers of hard rock that accumulate within softer sedimentary rocks. As the rest of the rock is eroded by rain, wind or frost, you are left with a magnificent mold of an ancient fracture in the rock.
Hoodoos East Coulee, Alberta, Canada. (Darren Kirby / CC BY SA 2.0)
The two rock towers on Mars appear to be on the verge of collapsing compared to those we see on Earth, but they are clearly solid enough to withstand the lightest surface gravity experienced on the red planet.
Another strange rock formation found by Curiosity earlier this year could have been created in a similar way, albeit with very different results.
This other smaller rock looks like a little coral or a flower with numerous petals extending into the sun.
“One theory that has emerged is that rock is a type of concretion created by water-deposited minerals in cracks or splits in existing rocks,” a NASA press release said at the time.
“These concretions can be compacted, they can be harder and denser than the surrounding rock, and they can remain even after the surrounding rock erodes.”
A flower-shaped rock found on Mars. (NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS)
Gale crater is not completely flat, but the alien spirals discovered by Curiosity stand out from the rest of its surroundings, although there are no height measurements that accompany the image.
High rock tombstones may seem lifeless now, but their formation says a lot about the ancient conditions of Mars and whether life could have thrived there billions of years ago.
Gale crater itself is believed to be a bed of dried lake, although possibly more shallow and more transient than experts assumed.
The rock formations in and around the ancient lake help to reveal the true history of the region.