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NASA Curiosity rover finds vast honeycomb polygon field on Mars
NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a 360‑degree panorama on 19‑20 June 2026 (sol 4930‑31) while traversing the Martian valley known as Valle Grande. The images reveal an unprecedented field of polygonal fractures, each 4–8 cm (1.5–3 in) across, covering the valley floor and extending around the nearby 6‑m‑high butte Miraflores.
Project scientist Ashwin Vasavada of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory described the landscape as a “sea of polygons” that took their breath away. Scientists say the honeycomb‑shaped fractures likely formed through one or more processes: drying mud cracks, repeated thermal‑expansion cycles, or compression of sediment that forced water out of buried layers. The discovery adds strong evidence that liquid water once shaped the region’s climate and geology, reinforcing earlier findings of ancient lakes and river deposits in Gale Crater.
Although similar polygonal features have been observed elsewhere on Mars, this is the first time they have been seen on such a broad scale, making the find a notable milestone for planetary science.
Entities
Ashwin Vasavada · Curiosity rover · Jet Propulsion Laboratory · Mars · Miraflores (butte) · NASA · National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) · Valle Grande
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 10 SOURCES] The structures are called polygonal fractures or honeycomb patterns and resemble a honeycomb. trafficnews.bg · www.alminuto.mx · br.paipee.com · www.generation-nt.com · www.notiulti.com · +5 more
- [● 10 SOURCES] The discovery provides evidence of past water activity and climate conditions on Mars. trafficnews.bg · www.alminuto.mx · br.paipee.com · www.generation-nt.com · www.notiulti.com · +5 more
- [● 10 SOURCES] Curiosity rover captured a 360‑degree panorama on 19‑20 June 2026 in Valle Grande. trafficnews.bg · www.alminuto.mx · br.paipee.com · www.generation-nt.com · www.notiulti.com · +5 more
- [● 10 SOURCES] Scientists, including project scientist Ashwin Vasavada, suggest the fractures may have formed by mud cracking, thermal cycles, or sediment compression expelling water. trafficnews.bg · www.alminuto.mx · br.paipee.com · www.generation-nt.com · www.notiulti.com · +5 more
- [● 10 SOURCES] The observations were made by NASA’s Curiosity rover, part of the Mars Science Laboratory mission launched in 2012. trafficnews.bg · www.alminuto.mx · br.paipee.com · www.generation-nt.com · www.notiulti.com · +5 more
- [● 10 SOURCES] The panorama shows a field of polygonal fractures 4–8 cm across covering the valley floor and the sides of the 6‑m‑high butte Miraflores. trafficnews.bg · www.alminuto.mx · br.paipee.com · www.generation-nt.com · www.notiulti.com · +5 more
- [● 10 SOURCES] This is the most extensive occurrence of such polygonal fractures observed by Curiosity to date. trafficnews.bg · www.alminuto.mx · br.paipee.com · www.generation-nt.com · www.notiulti.com · +5 more
- [● 10 SOURCES] The butte Miraflores is about 6 meters high and is capped with a thick sand layer. trafficnews.bg · www.alminuto.mx · br.paipee.com · www.generation-nt.com · www.notiulti.com · +5 more