Curiosity Maps Martian Spiderweb Ridges to Uncover Prolonged Groundwater

NASA's Curiosity rover has been studying large, spiderweb-like boxwork ridges on Mount Sharp, suggesting groundwater once moved through bedrock fractures and mineralized them while surrounding rock eroded away. Analyses of drilled samples have found clay minerals in ridge material and carbonates in hollows, with a later wet-chemistry test probing for organics and nodules observed along ridge sides. The findings imply longer-lived ancient water activity on Mars and guide the rover's continued exploration of sulfate-rich layers up the mountain.