Strange Spider-Like Features Emerge on Mars’ Surface
On the Martian surface near the Red Planet’s south pole, a peculiar phenomenon has been observed. The European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter captured images of small, dark features resembling spiders moving across the region known as Inca City.
This unusual pattern appears when spring sunlight warms layers of carbon dioxide deposited during the Martian winter. As the carbon dioxide ice turns into gas, it builds up and eventually breaks through overlying ice, reaching a thickness of up to 1 meter. The released gas carries dark dust from the underlying ground upward, forcing it to explode out of the top ice layers like water from a geyser before settling on the surface.
The resulting cracked formations measure between 45 meters and 1 kilometer across, creating a spider-like appearance. Mars’ Inca City, also known as Angustus Labyrinthus, exhibits a linear network of ridges similar to those found in Inca ruins on Earth. It is part of a circular feature approximately 86 kilometers wide, suggesting it may be an impact crater with ridges formed by lava rising through the fractured Martian crust and eroding over time.
“We’re still not sure exactly how Inca City formed,” ESA officials said. “It could be that sand dunes have turned to stone over time. Perhaps material such as magma or sand is seeping through fractured sheets of martian rock. Or, the ridges could be ‘eskers,’ winding structures related to glaciers.”
The most recent images of Inca City were taken by Mars Express’ High Resolution Stereo Camera on February 27, 2024, during the Martian autumn season. The Cassis instrument aboard ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter previously documented similar spider-like features near Mars’ south pole on October 4, 2020. The next Martian spring equinox will be on November 12, 2024.
Source: https://www.space.com/spiders-mars-inca-city-satellite-photo