Stirring about the mysterious “door” on Mars

Curiosity’s expedition ship NASA captured a photo of a mysterious doorway-like structure on a Martian cliff, sparking speculation that the rectangular structure may have been created by aliens.

However, geologists say the strange structure is just a natural phenomenon, in fact erosion.

What looks like a rectangular doorway Mars rover Curiosity taken on May 7, was actually formed by “normal geological processes”, Imperial University professor Sanjeev Gupta told the Daily Telegraph, pointing to the rock fracture which he said could happen at any moment. over the past few hundred million years.

Perhaps more importantly – for those looking for elusive proof of extraterrestrial lifeat least – the “door” is quite small, so much so that if an entity were to make a home there, it probably wouldn’t pose much of a threat to humanity.

Planetary geologist Nicholas Mangold has calculated the height of the cavity to be less than 1m, while other experts confirmed to Snopes that it is even smaller, about 30cm x 45cm.

The image was taken by Curiosity on May 7 and has been widely circulated since May 12, causing people to start speculating about the mysterious doorway on Mars. There aren’t any reference points to the actual height of the structure, making it look like a real doorway. Even British geologist Neil Hodgkins called it “a very strange image” before admitting the structure “looks like natural erosion”.

The geologist blames the “Mars wind” for eroding horizontal strata exposed on the surface and points to where they intersect with natural longitudinal cracks, noting that the photo appears to show “a the large rock fell under its own weight” due to the gravity of Mars, leaving a crater that attracted much attention. The rock in question can be seen to the right of the “door” in the photo.

Thus, far from evidence of extraterrestrial life, the so-called door “is very similar to the outcrops you see in many arid places on Earth,” said scientist Neil Hodgkins.

Curiosity and Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has been exploring and photographing Mars since last February. They are also collecting samples and plan to spend at least two years in the Jezero crater area on the red planet.