ESA Photos Reveal 'Inca City' on Mars With Hundreds of 'Spiders'

ESA Photos Reveal Mars' Mysterious 'Inca City' With Hundreds of 'Spiders'

New satellite photos from the European Space Agency (ESA) have unveiled a curious phenomenon on Mars, known as the "Inca City" formation, where hundreds of dark, spider-like structures have emerged. While they may evoke arachnids, these formations are actually the result of seasonal changes on the Red Planet.

The eerie formations, resembling clusters of tiny-legged creatures, are channels of gas measuring between 0.03 to 0.6 miles across. They arise when warming temperatures in Mars' southern hemisphere cause buried layers of carbon dioxide ice to sublimate, or turn directly into gas. As the gas expands and rises, it bursts through the overlying ice layers, carrying dark dust from the surface.

This dusty gas erupts in geysers, showering down onto the top layer of ice and creating the cracked, spidery patterns visible in the images. Some geysers even penetrate ice layers up to 3.3 feet thick. While they may appear ominous, these formations are a regular springtime occurrence on Mars, driven by seasonal changes in temperature.

The Inca City formation, also known as Angustus Labyrinthus, is characterized by linear ridgelines that were once believed to be petrified sand dunes or remnants of ancient glaciers. However, further investigation revealed it to be part of a circular feature approximately 53 miles wide, possibly an old impact crater. The geometric ridges may be magma intrusions that rose through Mars' crust after the impact, later partially revealed as the sediment eroded.

The ESA's Mars Express orbiter and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter captured these striking images, shedding light on the dynamic processes shaping the Martian landscape. While the "spiders" may spark imaginations of extraterrestrial creatures, they serve as reminders of the intricate interplay between geological forces and seasonal changes on our neighboring planet.