Curiosity rover spots ‘sea of polygons’ in Martian Valley
California: NASA’s Curiosity rover has captured images of a vast “sea of polygons” in a Martian valley called Valle Grande.
The honeycomb-like textures, known as polygonal fractures, were seen spreading in all directions in a 360-degree panorama taken on June 19-20. Small patches have been spotted before, but never at this scale.
Project scientist Ashwin Vasavada of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory called it breathtaking. “We measured their shapes and chemistry carefully and are hopeful there are clues in the data as to how these features formed.
”Scientists say the shapes could have formed from mud cracks, temperature cycles, or compressed sediment. Curiosity, which landed on Mars in 2012, has previously found evidence that ancient Mars had water and the chemistry needed to support microbial life.
