NASA’s Curiosity rover has captured images of numerous small polygon-shaped formations on Mars, giving scientists new geological features to investigate as they study the planet’s environmental history.
The patterns were observed across an area near the slopes of a region known as Miraflores. The formations appear to measure several centimetres across and are scattered across the Martian surface.
Similar polygonal patterns have previously been observed on Mars. Some have been linked to ancient mud that dried and cracked as environmental conditions changed. Scientists have not yet determined whether the newly observed formations were created through the same process or by a different geological mechanism.
Researchers are examining the structures’ geometry, physical characteristics and chemical composition to determine how they formed. Data collected by Curiosity could help establish whether the formations contain minerals associated with ancient wet environments or materials altered by later geological processes.
The findings could provide clues about how Mars’ surface changed over billions of years. In particular, identifying the conditions under which the polygons formed could help scientists better understand periods when water may have been present on the planet’s surface.
Curiosity has been exploring Mars since landing in Gale Crater in 2012. The rover studies rocks and soil to reconstruct the planet’s geological history and determine whether ancient Mars had environmental conditions that could have supported microbial life.
