Curiosity Probes Mars 'Spiderweb' Ridges, Confirms Fractures and Runs Organic Test

Overview

• Curiosity captured a high-resolution Mastcam panorama of extensive boxwork on Sept. 26, 2025, revealing low ridges with sandy hollows.
• The rover verified that dark lines seen from orbit are rock fractures consistent with mineral deposition from seeping groundwater.
• Drilled samples showed clay minerals in a ridgetop target and carbonate minerals in bedrock from a hollow, pointing to differing water conditions.
• Pea-size nodules indicative of past groundwater were found along ridge walls and in hollows rather than next to the central fractures.
• A fourth drilled sample received wet-chemistry treatment to aid organic detection, with departure from the boxwork region set for March to continue along a sulfate-rich layer.