We have to admit that when it comes to Mars, we make things look too much like something that doesn’t actually exist. It’s fun to see all these familiar things, from the famous bear-like crater that turned out to be a windswept hill to the many boulder fragments spotted by exploration vehicles that look like ducks, flowers, and more.
A new rock that joins this fun is almost like a backbone.
As always with this kind of thing, we want to point out that this is definitely not a backbone. There are no fossilized bones or skeletons on Mars. The answer to this question comes from the scientist who first revealed this interesting phenomenon: Dr. Nathelie Cabrol. He explains on Twitter that these are the remnants of ripples that have eroded in this strange formation.
Dr. Cabrol tweeted; “I’ve been studying Mars for 20 years, this is the weirdest rock I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to get a microscopic view of it,” he said. Cabrol’s specialty is ancient lakes on Mars, just as NASA’s Curiosity rover discovered.
In 20 years of studying Mars, that's the most bizarre rock I have ever seen. I cannot wait to have a microscopic image of this one…It is part of a Gigapan of Gale crater that you can see here: https://t.co/LxljtDHyIl pic.twitter.com/wHhn1ckqjL
— Nathalie A. Cabrol (@shasta721) April 10, 2023
Curiosity has been exploring Gale Crater since reaching Mars in 2012, and its central structure has been climbing the sides of Mount Sharp. The crater used to be home to a lake that slowly receded until it disappeared. Climbing Mount Sharp is like looking back at the lake from earlier times. These images were taken by Curiosity on March 31, 2023, on Mars day 3786.
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