In the desolate and arid lowlands of the northern hemisphere of Mars, the European Space Agency’s “Mars Express” orbiter captured a stunning sight: a giant pattern resembling a butterfly, with a city-sized scale, deeply engraved on the surface of Mars in the Idaeus Fossae region.
This 20-kilometer wingspan “extraterrestrial butterfly” is not just a visual spectacle but also carries important signals about Mars’ past to Earthlings.
Scientists explain that this butterfly pattern is actually an extremely rare asymmetric impact crater, releasing signals that Mars has undergone a very unique dynamic impact.
Unlike most circular craters formed by vertical impacts, this butterfly was created by an asteroid striking at an extremely low angle (shallow angle).
The impact force of this “glancing blow” pushed ejected rock debris to the sides, forming two elongated smooth “wings” stretching for several kilometers, while the crater bottom was squeezed into a rugged shape resembling a “walnut.”
The most crucial signal released by this butterfly pertains to Mars’ history of water resources.
ESA’s research team discovered an unusual detail: the “wings” of the butterfly zone are unusually smooth. Scientists analyze that this indicates a clear signal of “fluidization” phenomenon.
Specifically, when the asteroid hit the surface, the immense heat melted ancient ice layers buried underground on Mars. The water mixed with debris formed a substance resembling mudflows that spread outward, eventually condensing into smooth wing-like structures.
This proves that even in the seemingly barren Idaeus Fossae region, there may have been (and possibly still is) abundant ice layers and traces of water resources hidden beneath the surface.
This is not the first time scientists have discovered rock formations resembling biological shapes on the surface of Mars.
To date, various Mars rovers from NASA have found multiple rocks strikingly similar to Earthly biological forms, including a turtle emerging from its shell captured by the “Perseverance” rover in August, and coral-like structures photographed by the “Curiosity” rover in 2022.
This may reflect humanity’s innate desire to search for cosmic counterparts and explore extraterrestrial life.
Currently, scientists cannot determine the exact time the butterfly “emerged.” But as the “Mars Express” continues to transmit high-resolution terrain data, this city-sized butterfly will become an important specimen for studying Mars’ crust composition and ancient climate.
(This article references a report from “Life Science”)