Fascinating Martian Formations Resembling Spiders

Recently captured images by the European Space Agency's (ESA) ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter reveal an intriguing phenomenon on the red planet, generating formations resembling arachnids. These peculiar features were discovered in the southern polar region of Mars, known as the "Inca City".

The formations arise due to ice that, during the transition from Martian winter to spring, releases carbon dioxide gas, forming channels ranging from 45 meters to a kilometer in diameter. This gas, laden with dark powder, is expelled in tall columns through fissures in the ice, creating geysers that deposit material on the surface, resulting in the dark spots seen in the images. These processes shape patterns beneath the frozen surface that, when viewed from above, resemble spiders.

"These small cracks form when the spring sunlight falls on the layer of carbon dioxide deposited during the dark winter months," explained ESA.

"Sunlight turns the carbon dioxide ice at the base of this layer into gas, causing it to accumulate and break through the upper ice plates. The gas is released in Martian spring, dragging dark-colored matter to the surface and breaking through ice layers up to a meter thick."

"Inca City" on Mars

Mars' "Inca City", discovered by NASA's Mariner 9 spacecraft in 1972 and also known as Angustus Labyrinthus, derives its name from the linear ridges initially thought to be petrified sand dunes or remnants of ancient glaciers. According to the scientific portal Live Science, discoveries made by the Mars Orbiter in 2002 suggested the presence of a circular crater with a diameter of 86 kilometers, possibly formed by the impact of a celestial body. The observed geometric ridges may have been shaped by magma that accumulated after the collision.

Why Do We See 'Spiders' in the Photos?

Pareidolia is the phenomenon in which our minds deceive us, causing us to perceive things that aren't really there. This occurs when we quickly detect familiar patterns, possibly with evolutionary value to identify potential dangers, such as a snake. Thus, sometimes we see things that don't exist, like the famous "Martian spiders".

On Mars, several occurrences of pareidolia have been observed, such as the iconic "bear face", a supposed "alien door" identified by the Curiosity rover, and a rock with a cat-shaped form captured by the Perseverance robot. On the Moon, the Chinese rover Yutu 2 found a "mysterious hut", which, in reality, was just a rock with a peculiar shape.