NASA's Curiosity rover found what appears to be towers on the surface of Mars. The structures have a twisty form and are likely made from rock. These spiral sediments were mostly found in the region of Gale Crater. The appearance of the Martian towers heavily resembles frozen liquids poured down from an invisible container elevated on the planet's atmosphere.
Towers on Mars Captured by Curiosity Rover
Here is another cool rock at Gale crater on Mars! The spikes are likely the cemented fillings of ancient fractures in sedimentary rock. The rest of the rock was made of softer material and was eroded.
The cemented towers were probably remnants of the planet's ancient bedrocks. Throughout the evolution of Mars, softer landscapes eroded and left the hard, snake-shaped compact materials standing upwards.
Some of the Martian towers were captured by Curiosity on May 17, with NASA publishing it a week later. The images sent by the river were presented through the team from Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence or SETI.
The unusual spires from Mars are similar to some of the geological formations we have on Earth. For example, there are remote regions on our planet with rocks called 'hoodoo' that appear with a tall height and thin width that is left behind by natural erosion. Hoodoos come in many names, such as fairy chimneys, earth pyramids, or tent rocks.
#PPOD: Here is another cool rock at Gale crater on Mars! The spikes are most likely the cemented fillings of ancient fractures in a sedimentary rock. The rest of the rock was made of softer material and was eroded away. 📷: @NASA @NASAJPL @Caltech #MSSS fredk, acquired on May 17. pic.twitter.com/RGfjmRBfI7
— The SETI Institute (@SETIInstitute) May 26, 2022
Terrestrial hoodoos commonly form in environments with intense dryness. In canyons of the Utah state and southern Siberia, many of these massive rocks can be found. Some of them reach a height compared to a standard ten-story building.
The towers on Mars were theorized to materialize the same way Earth's hoodoos do. According to scientists, they are compact underground materials that stood still across generations of harsh weather and erosion, Science Alert reports.
Curiosity captured a couple of these Martian towers that seemed to fall on each other. But surely, they would maintain the position for quite a while as the sediments prove they are strong enough to reach our age and, of course, with the help of the lighter surface gravity on the red planet.
Martian Rocks Hide Secrets of the Red Planet's Past History
Earlier this year, the Curiosity rover found a separate set of rocks that, while not as tall as the recent towers, have shapes similar to flowers or corals. The bizarre formations also stretch up high to the atmosphere.
According to NASA, these materials are rocks constructed through the minerals possibly provided by water present in between cracks or divisions of larger rocks.
As the towers of the red planet, these flower-shaped rocks are likely harder and denser than other pieces we see on the surface. They could also maintain their current shapes even if the surrounding rocks erode.
The presence of these long rocks would be studied further to understand more about the characteristics of the planet and the possibility of it having life forms and active environments in the past.
In a study from Nature Geoscience, titled "An interval of high salinity in ancient Gale crater lake on Mars," findings imply that the Gale Crater, in which the Martian towers stand, was previously a lake bed that became dry over time.
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