NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover found its largest concentration of honeycomb-shaped fractures yet in Valle Grande, but scientists do not know how the Martian features formed.
The polygons stretch in every direction across a 360-degree panorama captured on June 19 and 20, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a July 29 mission update.
Each polygon measures about 1.5 to 3 inches (4 to 8 centimetres) across. The patterns also surround Miraflores, a sand-capped butte standing about 20 feet (6 metres) tall.
Curiosity had previously detected smaller patches of polygonal fractures. Mission scientists had never observed so many of the geometric features in one location, according to NASA’s announcement.
El rover Curiosity sorprendió a científicos al captar una extraña formación en la superficie de Marte. #EnUnaHora con @karlaiberia | #nmásforo | #SiempreEnVivo | #SiempreContigo | Sigue la señal en vivo por https://t.co/R0rtaHzqZe pic.twitter.com/MlKik4fnsB
— N+ FORO (@nmasforo) July 31, 2026“We measured their shapes and chemistry carefully and are hopeful there are clues in the data as to how these features formed,” Curiosity project scientist Ashwin Vasavada of JPL said.
NASA said some polygons found elsewhere on Mars were mud cracks. However, warm-and-cold temperature cycles, underground compression, water loss or mineral changes can produce textures similar to those produced by these factors.
Read: Why Mars Remains Barren: NASA Rover’s Carbonate Discovery Offers Clues
Scientists are analysing the Valle Grande polygons to determine which process created them. NASA reported the observation through a mission update rather than a peer-reviewed research paper.
The JPL panorama combines 340 images captured by Curiosity’s Mast Camera.
Curiosity has climbed Mount Sharp since 2014. NASA said lakes and streams existed around the mountain’s lower foothills billions of years ago, when Mars had water, nutrients and chemistry capable of supporting microbial life.
