NASA’s Curiosity Rover Just Found Something On Mars That Looks Exactly Like Coral
The Daily Galaxy • • science
Key Points:
- NASA’s Curiosity rover captured an image in July 2023 of a coral-shaped rock on Mars, about 1 inch wide, formed billions of years ago through processes involving flowing liquid water.
- The rock’s intricate ridges and curves suggest mineral-rich fluids once flowed through fractures in Martian bedrock, depositing minerals that hardened and were later eroded by windblown sand.
- Similar unusual rock formations, like the 2-inch “Paposo” and a flower-shaped rock found in 2022, reinforce evidence that underground water movement played a significant role in Mars’ geological history.
- Curiosity, operating since 2012 in Gale Crater, continues to gather data supporting the idea that Mars once had wetter conditions
