Written by Jeffrey Rappaport | issued
If you’re looking for inspiration for your sci-fi screenplay, take note. Scientists recently discovered a strange polygonal structure buried beneath the surface of Mars. Cutting-edge advances in space technology have facilitated discoveries that are amazing revelations from space.
It brings a fascinating new chapter to our understanding of the Martian landscape and its history.
Zhurong explored beneath the surface of Mars and discovered 16 fascinating polygonal structures.
China’s Zhurong spacecraft made this discovery, marking an important milestone in China’s space exploration program. In fact, Zhu Long’s Mars adventure is part of China’s first Mars landing mission.
The Chinese rover was unloaded and deployed to Utopia Planitia, one of Mars’ most important impact basins. This superior technique will be crucial in uncovering mysterious hidden structures in particularly important parts of the Martian landscape.
The impact crater in question was last traversed by NASA’s Viking 2 in 1976, more than 40 years ago. This area is of particular interest to scientists, whether Chinese or American.
These polygons are not only approximately 35 meters underground, but also extend horizontally for nearly two kilometers.
Zhurong explored beneath the surface of Mars and discovered 16 fascinating polygonal structures. Experts believe these formations are the incredibly ancient result of freeze-thaw cycles. The Martian landscape has previously cracked after being frozen, a process observed in permafrost regions of Earth.
But scientists say the polygons that emerge from this process on Mars are very large, much larger than those encountered on Earth.
How did scientists arrive at the freeze-thaw hypothesis? By looking at data collected from the spacecraft’s advanced radar system. What they discovered was surprising. Not only are these polygons located approximately 35 meters underground, but they also extend horizontally for nearly two kilometers.
Further research has revealed interesting details about Mars’ geological and climatic origins. Whereas Earth’s polygonal structures, such as Northern Ireland’s famous Gaint’s Causeway, were shaped by volcanic activity, Mars’ polygons probably owe their anomalies to sedimentary and thermal processes, apart from the involvement of lava. It is thought that it formed a shape.
Hopefully, these cracks will provide further clues about Mars’ past climate and provide a point of comparison with the Utopian Plains polygons.
Furthermore, the remains of ancient Martian floods along the Utopian Plains (the floods originated approximately 3 billion years ago) testify to a dynamic and varied Martian landscape undergoing revolutionary changes. Such an environment would have turned Mars from a water-rich planet to the arid wasteland we see today.
It would also have facilitated the process of freezing and thawing, i.e. polygonal patterns.
China’s Zhurong spacecraft has remained silent since then, while NASA’s Curiosity continues on track. This is most likely due to a violent sandstorm on Mars, but of course no one rules out the possibility of a sci-fi horror monster.
The former will soon be exploring terrain marked by giant cracks visible from orbit.
Hopefully, these cracks will provide further clues about Mars’ past climate and provide a point of comparison with the Utopian Plains polygons.
Further evidence suggests that Mars may also have once been subject to highly variable axial tilt and obliquity. A sudden change in the planet’s tilt would have caused extreme temperature fluctuations. Scientists claim that about 5 million years ago, the red plant tilted up to 40 degrees.
A forward-tilting planet would experience very different seasonal conditions than what we observe today.
Either way, the discovery deepens our understanding of Mars’ geological history and presents new avenues for investigating Mars’ past climate and atmospheric conditions.
sauce: natural astronomy