Curiosity Rover Captures Stunning Martian Boxwork Formations

NASA's Curiosity rover surveys ancient geological features on the Red Planet.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has captured a panoramic view of boxwork formations - intricate networks of ridges and hollows created billions of years ago when water seeped through cracks in the Martian rock. The 179-image mosaic, stitched together after being sent back to Earth, provides a detailed look at these unique geological features.

Why it matters

The boxwork formations offer valuable insights into Mars' ancient past, when liquid water was present on the planet's surface. Understanding the geological history of these features can help scientists piece together the story of Mars' environmental evolution over time.

The details

The boxwork formations were created when minerals carried by water hardened in cracks within the rock. As softer rock eroded away over eons, the hardened ridges were left exposed, forming the intricate network visible in Curiosity's panoramic image. This natural color view approximates how the scene would appear to the human eye.

  • Curiosity captured the panorama on September 26, 2025, the 4,671st Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

The players

NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover

A car-sized rover designed to explore the Gale Crater region of Mars as part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The NASA center that built and manages the Curiosity rover, which is operated on behalf of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

Malin Space Science Systems

The company that built and operates the Mastcam instrument on the Curiosity rover, which captured the panoramic image.

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The takeaway

Curiosity's latest findings continue to shed light on Mars' ancient geological history, revealing intricate features that formed billions of years ago when the planet was a much wetter and more geologically active world.