NASA’s Curiosity Rover sets its sights on a spiderweb-like surface on Mars
NASA’s Curiosity rover is gearing up for a new phase of exploration on Mars, targeting a striking patch of surface that resembles spider webs. These structures, also called ‘boxwork deposits’, extend over an area of 10 to 20 kilometers and are believed to hold clues to the Red Planet’s ancient water systems, according to reports from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The research is expected to provide critical insights into Mars’s potential to have supported life in its distant past.
Insights from Boxwork features
The rover recently completed its exploration of Gediz Vallis, a channel on the slopes of Mount Sharp in Gale Crater, where it has spent the past year. The JPL revealed that the region yielded significant findings, including the discovery of pure sulfur crystals and wave-like rock formations, indicating that an ancient lake once existed. A 360-degree panoramic image taken by the rover marked the completion of this part of the mission.
Boxwork formations, according to according to a LiveScience report, formed when mineral-rich water fills rock crevices, hardens and later erodes. Kirsten Siebach, a Curiosity mission scientist at Rice University, explained it at JPL statement that these formations “contain minerals that crystallized underground, where salty liquid water once flowed.” It was highlighted that such conditions may have supported microbial life on early Earth, making this exploration an important step in studying the history of Mars.
On Earth, similar features are observed in caves, including those in Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota. However, the boxwork structures on Mars are significantly larger and extend for miles, and were formed by ancient mineral-rich lakes and oceans rather than groundwater seepage, reports suggest.
Mission timeline
Curiosity, which landed on Mars in 2012, has traveled more than 20 miles (33 kilometers) and has outlived its original mission timeline by a decade. Exploration of the Boxwork region will begin in early 2025, with researchers aiming to discover evidence of Mars’ watery past and assess the planet’s potential to harbor life.
