NASA Curiosity rover discovers unusual cavities on Mars

NASA’s Curiosity rover has discovered unusual cavities in the Martian surface near Mount Sharp that have puzzled mission scientists. These wide, shallow depressions differ from similar features observed during the rover’s 14-year mission.

While surface holes can sometimes form when resistant pebbles or nodules are exposed to erosion and eventually detach, these specific cavities lack any evident objects that would explain their origin through that process. To investigate, the scientific team utilized the MAHLI camera on the rover's robotic arm and the Mastcam to capture images from multiple perspectives, allowing for the creation of digital elevation models to analyze the structures' dimensions.

In addition to the cavities, Curiosity has detected variations in texture and structure between nearby rock layers. Instruments such as ChemCam and APXS have also analyzed gray, rough, and erosion-resistant layers that appear to have a different chemical composition than the surrounding bedrock, suggesting changing environmental conditions during their deposition.