Published September 10th, 2026 - 09:52 GMT
ALBAWABA - After 14 years of hovering on Mars' surface, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has encountered a phenomenon that scientists have yet to clearly explain: small, peculiar holes dotting an area the rover is exploring called Mount Sharp.While holes are not uncommon on the Red Planet, these new holes differ from previously observed formations, both in appearance and in their likely mode of origin, prompting the mission team to subject them to more detailed study.According to ScienceAlert, the rover discovered the holes while crossing "Valle Grande," a broad valley cutting through sulfate-rich layers of Mount Sharp. This mountain rises from the center of Gale Crater, where the rover has been operating since its arrival on Mars in 2012.Images sent back by the rover show the ground covered with honeycomb-like patterns known as polygonal fractures, each measuring about 4 to 8 centimeters across.Mars. (Shutterstock)What did a NASA scientist say?The mission's project scientist, Ashwin Vasavada of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said in a statement, "We've seen a lot of fascinating landscapes through Curiosity's eyes, but this sea of polygons took our breath away.""We measured their shapes and chemistry carefully and are hopeful there are clues in the data as to how these features formed," he added. According to NASA scientists, the repeated warming and cooling of the atmosphere could cause the ground to fracture into geometric shapes.
