Archive · 31 Jul 2026
Curiosity Rover Discovers Vast Honeycomb Landscape on Mars
NASA’s Curiosity rover is a robot that travels on Mars.
It recently found a huge area that looks like a honeycomb, with little squares that are about 1.5 to 3 inches wide.
The pattern covers a very large part of the valley called Valle Grande and even wraps around a nearby hill called Miraflores.
Scientists measured the shapes and the chemicals in the rocks to learn how they were made.
They think the patterns could have formed from old mud cracks, changes in temperature, or water being squeezed out of the ground.
Curiosity rover captured a huge honeycomb‑like pattern in Valle Grande valley on Mars.
Polygonal fractures measure 1.5–3 inches (4–8 cm) across, covering a vast area.
The pattern extends in all directions, wrapping around the 20‑ft Miraflores butte.
Scientists measured shapes and chemistry to investigate formation processes.
Possible origins include mud cracks, temperature cycles, or compression of buried water.
- Who
- NASA's Curiosity rover team, including project scientist Ashwin Vasavada
- What
- Discovery of a vast honeycomb‑like landscape in Valle Grande valley
- When
- Images captured June 19‑20, 2024 (sols 4,930 and 4,931)
- Where
- Valle Grande valley on Mars, near the Miraflores butte
- Why
- To study the formation processes of the polygonal patterns and gather geological clues
- Rover
- Curiosity
- Location
- Valle Grande, Mars
- Feature Size
- 1.5–3 inches (4–8 cm)
- Feature Extent
- vast area covering all directions
- Discovery Date
- June 19-20, 2024
- Butte Name
- Miraflores
- Butte Height
- 20 feet (6 meters)