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Curiosity Rover Uncovers Spiderweb-Like Boxwork Ridges Indicating Ancient Groundwater

Chemical analyses of freshly drilled samples are poised to determine how long subsurface water lingered on the Red Planet

Overview

  • Curiosity captured close-up images of boxwork ridges spanning miles of Mount Sharp, providing direct evidence of ancient groundwater activity
  • NASA scientists say the spiderweb-like formations formed when mineral-rich water seeped through bedrock cracks and left behind hardened mineral deposits
  • Unexpected veins of calcium sulfate within the boxwork patterns reveal that subsurface water persisted later in Mars’s history than previously thought
  • The rover is currently drilling a sample nicknamed Altadena and examining magnesium sulfate–rich layers to map the planet’s shift from wetter to drier conditions
  • Ongoing drilling and in-depth chemical analyses will clarify the ridges’ mineral composition and shed light on Mars’s potential for past microbial habitability