Weird Object on Mars: NASA Curiosity Rover Spots Strange Twisting Rock Towers

NASA's Curiosity rover has discovered a spectacular rock formation penetrating Mars' strange surface in this newly-released image by The SETI Institute's Twitter page.

"Twisted Spires of Rock"

Several twisted spires of rock rise among the shallow sands and rocks of the Gale Crater, and the spikes of sediment appear like frozen streams of water that poured from an unseen jug in the sky.

However, experts noted that the columns were most likely made of cement-like material that formerly filled old bedrock fractures. The snaking streams of dense material stayed standing when the softer rock eventually eroded away.

A camera took the stunning rock formations on board the Curiosity rover on May 17, but NASA and specialists from the SETI institute (which stands for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) only revealed it last week as part of SETI's planetary picture of the day project.

The structures, as strange as they appear, are not without precedent.

According to Science Alert, a 'hoodoo' is a tall and lanky pillar of rock created by erosion in Earthly geology. A tent rock, fairy chimney, or earth pyramid are other names for such formation.

Hoodoos are typically found in dry locations, such as Utah's canyons or southern Serbia's mountains, and the columns can possibly reach the heights of ten-story buildings!

Hard rock layers that develop up within softer sedimentary rock generate the natural structures. When the rocks erode away due to rain, wind, frost, or any disruptions, you are left with a gorgeous mold of an old crack in the bedrock.

In comparison to the ones we see on Earth, the two rock towers on Mars appear to be on the verge of collapsing, but experts note that they are definitely strong enough to endure the lesser surface gravity on Mars.

Flower on Mars?

Curiosity discovered another odd rock structure earlier this year that may have been generated in a similar manner, though with drastically different effects.

This little rock resembles a piece of coral or a flower, with numerous small petals extending upwards towards the sun.

According to a NASA press statement back in March, one theory that has developed is that the rock is a form of concretion generated by minerals "deposited by water in cracks or divisions in existing rock."

Furthermore, NASA explained that these concretions could be compacted, are tougher and denser than the rock layers, and can persist even after the surrounding rock has eroded away.

Although no height estimates support the photograph of the Gale crater, the extraterrestrial spires observed by Curiosity are relatively striking from the rest of their environment.

The massive rock tombstones may appear motionless now, but their development reveals a great deal about past Martian circumstances and whether life could have thrived billions of years ago.

The Gale crater is believed to be a dried-up lake bed, albeit it may be shallower and more transient than previously thought by experts.

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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla