Overview

• Curiosity captured high-resolution images of Paposo, a roughly 1-inch-wide rock formation with branching, coral-like veins, on July 24 within Gale Crater.
• Analysis indicates mineral-rich water percolated through fractures billions of years ago, depositing layers that created Paposo’s intricate vein network.
• Mars’s thin atmosphere and persistent winds eroded softer material over time, exposing Paposo’s hardened mineral veins and carving its coral-like shape.
• This discovery builds on earlier findings of organic compounds and spiderweb-like boxwork ridges, reinforcing evidence of sustained liquid water on early Mars.
• Having traversed about 22 miles of Gale Crater, Curiosity continues drilling and imaging to further unravel Mars’s geological history and its past habitability potential.