It has been described as one of the ‘most bizarre’ objects ever discovered on the Martian surface. So could extraterrestrials be to blame for this ‘bone-like’ rock with peculiar pointy protrusions?
Well, far-fetched though it may seem, scientists say they cannot rule out the possibility that an alien spacecraft crash-landing on the Red Planet was responsible.
Researchers of a new study added that such a scenario ‘cannot be discounted with absolute certainty’, particularly as ‘fragments including what appears to be wheels, an axle and a cratered debris field have been photographed in another Gale Crater location’.
However, they think the formations are most likely to be related to seismic activity on Mars.
The experts said the protrusions look like what are known as ‘sand spikes’ on Earth, which appear on our planet during earthquakes of magnitude seven and greater.
Professor Richard Armstrong, of Aston University, Birmingham, who is first author of the paper, told MailOnline: ‘These structures are very unusual on Mars and unique in my experience.
‘There is no certainty what causes the spikes and related structures but the balance of evidence suggests a type of “sand spike” which form on Earth as a consequence of significant seismic activity.
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