Recently on Mars, the Mars rover “Curiosity” captured a rock that bears a striking resemblance to coral, with its intricate branching structure clearly visible. According to a statement released by NASA on August 4th, the light-colored rock, approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter, was discovered by “Curiosity” inside the Gale Crater on Mars on July 24th. Its appearance closely resembles reef-building corals found in Earth’s oceans. The image shows a delicate and detailed branching structure similar to Earth’s corals.
The black and white close-up was taken by the Remote Micro Imager on the Chemistry Camera (ChemCam) of “Curiosity.” NASA named this coral-like rock “Punta de Lobos,” which bears a resemblance to another peculiarly shaped rock named “Paposo” that was also discovered on July 24th. “Paposo” has a width of about 2 inches (5 cm).
Scientists explain that these unusual shapes were formed through the combined effects of ancient water and wind erosion. Billions of years ago, liquid water still existed on the surface of Mars. Minerals dissolved in the water seeped into cracks in the rocks, and as the water evaporated, the minerals deposited and solidified into veins in the rocks. Over time, erosion from wind and sand wore away the surrounding rocks, leaving only branching or floral structures resembling Earth’s reef-building corals or other natural forms.
In 2022, “Curiosity” also captured a small floral rock inside the Gale Crater with similar origins to the recent discovery.
The Mars rover “Curiosity” landed on Mars in 2012 and was constructed and managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a subsidiary of the California Institute of Technology, as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program. The Chemistry Camera was developed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, with research support provided by the French National Center for Space Studies (CNES), the University of Toulouse in France, and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).