![\"Captured](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Captured-by-Mastcam-on-Curiosity-as-part-of-Sol-4865-operations-on-Mars.jpg.webp.webp\")
Captured by Mastcam on Curiosity as part of Sol 4865 operations on Mars. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS<\/p>\n
According to Abigail Fraeman <\/a>from NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, scientists have seen this kind of pattern before, but not at this scale. She pointed out that: <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve seen polygon-patterned rocks like these before,\u201d\u00a0she said in a NASA statement<\/a>, \u201cbut they didn\u2019t seem quite this dramatically abundant, stretching across the ground for meters and meters in our Mastcam mosaics.\u201d<\/p>\n The look of the terrain has sparked comparisons to reptile skin<\/a>, even if the science behind it is strictly geological. The sheer number of these shapes suggests something that happened again and again over time, not just a one-off event.<\/p>\n Evidence of Cyclical Wet and Dry Phases<\/p>\n On Earth, cracks like these usually form when wet mud dries out and shrinks. As stated by the source material, when that process repeats over and over, the cracks can evolve into more organized hexagonal shapes.<\/p>\n A similar case was identified in 2023 at Pontours on Mars. As reported in a study published in the Journal of Statistical Physics<\/a>, the hexagonal patterns observed there developed through multiple wet-dry cycles rather than a single drying event. The research indicates that cracks evolved from T-shaped intersections into Y-shaped junctions.<\/p>\n That kind of structure points to repeating conditions, possibly seasonal changes. If the same thing happened at Antofagasta, it would suggest Mars once had ongoing cycles involving liquid water<\/a>.<\/p>\n Small Details That Could Change The Picture<\/p>\n Even with the similarities to Pontours, the new site has its own quirks. The edges of the polygons are raised, forming ridges that stand out from the rest of the rock. As explained by Fraeman, this can happen when minerals fill in the cracks and later resist erosion better than the surrounding material. Over time, that leaves behind these raised lines tracing the original pattern.<\/p>\n The rover has already 8collected images andchemical data from the area. Based on the mission team\u2019s analysis, studying those details should help figure out whether minerals like salts, which were found at Pontours, are also present here. She added:<\/p>\n \u201cWe continued to collect lots of images and chemical data that will help us distinguish between different hypotheses for how the honeycomb textures formed.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-well-preserved-polygonal-network-at-Pontours.jpg.webp.webp\")
The well-preserved polygonal network at Pontours. Credit: Nature<\/p>\n![\"Surface](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Surface-crack-geometries-a\u2013b-desiccation-induced-mud-patterns-c-polygonal-terrain-on-Mars.jpg.webp.webp\")
Surface crack geometries: (a)\u2013(b) desiccation-induced mud patterns; (c) polygonal terrain on Mars. Credit: Journal of Statistical Physics<\/p>\n