Scientists believe an alien spaceship may have crashed-landed on the surface of Mars after noticing unusual pointy protrusions on its surface.
In April, NASA’s Curiosity Rover snapped what seemed to be rows of spikes, plates, and wedges protruding from rocks on the floor of the 96-mile-long (154-kilometer-long) Gale Crater.
Dr. Nathalie Cabrol, an astrobiologist at NASA Ames Research Center and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Seti) Institute, described it as “the most bizarre rock” she has seen in her 20 years of researching Mars.
A new article published in the Journal of Astrobiology determined that the formations could be “sand spikes,” which are comparable to those that form on Earth in water-logged sands when earthquakes of magnitude seven or more strike the surface.
Similar rock formations have been observed in south Germany’s north Alpine basin, which is associated with the 15 million-year-old Nordlinger Reis asteroid impact basin.
“A fragment from an extraterrestrial or terrestrial spacecraft cannot be discounted with absolute certainty”
However, researchers warn that “a fragment from an extraterrestrial or terrestrial spacecraft cannot be discounted with absolute certainty” – pointing out what appear to be wheels, an axle, and a debris field observed in a different section of the Gale Crater.
According to the authors, a similar debris field connecting to the spikes may have eroded over time.
Prof Richard Armstrong of Aston University in Birmingham, the paper’s first author, told The Telegraph, “There is no way of proving for certain what the spikes are but the balance of the evidence would suggest ‘sand spikes’ resulting from seismic activity on Mars. I suspect the enigmatic ‘wheels’ are a separate phenomenon. Mars images often show strange formations and features which ‘look like’ familiar objects.”
“Any debris field on Mars would certainly suffer erosion over time, especially from wind,” he added.
In the journal, the authors have stated, “Given that possibly 10 or more craft have crashed upon the surface, coupled with the jettison of equipment associated with landing the rovers, it is possible the spikes and its substrate are human-made and consist of debris that fell onto the surface of Gale Crater. Nevertheless, no debris field is evident and no evidence of any additional debris that may have originated on Earth.”
“Given its small size and that there are no known human-made analogs and no logical explanation as to what purpose these spikes may serve, it does not seem likely these specimens are the remnants of craft or equipment that fell into Gale Crater. One can only speculate about extraterrestrial origins,” they added.