Curiosity Finds 20-Foot Honeycomb Terrain in Mars' Valle Grande
Updated
Updated · Daily Kos · Aug 1
Curiosity Finds 20-Foot Honeycomb Terrain in Mars' Valle Grande
3 articles · Updated · Daily Kos · Aug 1
Summary
Curiosity spotted a vast honeycombed landscape in Valle Grande, with polygonal patterns spreading in all directions and climbing a 20-foot butte.
NASA scientists say the formation is the largest such terrain the rover has seen in 14 years and are measuring its shapes and chemistry for clues to its origin.
Several processes could explain the patterns, including cracks from drying mud, repeated heating and cooling, or compression that forced water from buried sediment.
The ancient terrain points to past water activity on Mars, adding another target in Curiosity's long-running search for the planet's environmental history.