NASA's Curiosity Rover Captures Stunning 'Boxwork' Patterns on Mars
NASA's ever-exploring Curiosity rover has sent back incredible new images from the Red Planet, offering a closer look at a fascinating geological feature known as "boxwork" patterns. These low ridges, located in the foothills of Mount Sharp, have captivated scientists and provide compelling evidence of Mars' ancient watery past.
Unveiling Martian Geology
The panorama, stitched together from 23 individual images captured by the rover's Mast Camera (Mastcam) on May 22, 2025 (sol 4,536), showcases an expansive view of this unique terrain. The colors in the images have been carefully adjusted to resemble how they would appear to the human eye under Earth-like lighting conditions, bringing the Martian landscape to life.
For those who wish to explore this vista further, a short video (Figure A) slowly pans over the right section of the panorama. You can view it .
A Glimpse into Ancient Waterways
When viewed from orbit, the boxwork patterns are described as looking "a bit like spiderwebs." Their allure predates Curiosity's landing on Mars in 2012. Scientists believe these intricate networks formed billions of years ago when groundwater trickled through cracks in the Martian rock. Minerals deposited by this water acted like cement, hardening within the rock. Over eons, wind and sand have eroded the surrounding rock, leaving behind these resistant, ridged patterns.
Curiosity's images represent the first close-up views of this remarkable region, situated in the foothills of Mount Sharp, the towering 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain the rover has been steadily ascending since 2014. Each image shared by Curiosity continues to deepen our understanding of Mars' complex geological history and its potential to have once harbored life.
