火星上的手指石

2022年6月20日

Rock Fingers on Mars
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS

Explanation: There, just right of center, what is that? The surface of Mars keeps revealing new surprises with the recent discovery of finger-like rock spires. The small nearly-vertical rock outcrops were imaged last month by the robotic Curiosity rover on Mars. Although similar in size and shape to small snakes, the leading explanation for their origin is as conglomerations of small minerals left by water flowing through rock crevices. After these relatively dense minerals filled the crevices, they were left behind when the surrounding rock eroded away. Famous rock outcrops on Earth with a similar origin are called hoodoos. NASA’s Curiosity Rover continues to search for new signs of ancient water in Gale Crater on Mars, while also providing a geologic background important for future human exploration.

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火星上的手指石
影像提供: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS

说明: 影像中右方的物体是什么？火星表面不断出现令人意外的新发现，其中包括最近刚找到的手指状尖顶石柱。在上个月，好奇号火星车拍下了这些娇小几乎直立的岩石露头。尽管其大小和形状上皆与小蛇相近，但其起源的可能解释为水流过岩石裂缝时，所留下的小型矿物聚集物。当这些相对致密的矿物填满裂缝，而周围的岩石被侵蚀殆尽之后，就留下了这些石柱。地球上名为浮图的著名岩石露头，也具有类似的起源。NASA的好奇号火星车，持续在火星上的盖尔坑内寻找远古水体存在的新迹证，同时也为人类未来的探索计画提供重要的地质背景。

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明日的图片: city suns