The mud can lubricate the gravel, ... In really wet weather, water can fill up and stand within the crack. If the temperature drops below 32 degrees, the water can freeze.

Mud cracks spotted on Mars' Mount Sharp region may provide clues about the Red Planet's watery past. NASA's Curiosity rover captured images of these cracks.

Clear as mud: Desiccation cracks help reveal the shape of water on Mars. ScienceDaily . Retrieved June 2, 2025 from www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2018 / 04 / 180419172658.htm ...

The rover spotted the mud cracks in 2021 after drilling a sample from a rock target nicknamed “Pontours,” found within a transitional zone between a clay-rich layer and one higher up that is ...

INDIANAPOLIS — A patchwork of hexagonal cracks discovered on the surface of Mars could hint at a crucial cycle that may have once supported the emergence of microscopic life. Though Mars is a harsh, ...

Bearing a network of cracks that may have formed in drying mud, Old Soaker shows that even as water was becoming scarce on Mars, it persisted in seeps, trickling streams and shallow desert lakes. The ...

The rover spotted the mud cracks in 2021 as it explored a rock target nicknamed “Pontours,” found within a transitional zone between a clay-rich layer and one higher up that is enriched with salty ...

How the mud cracks may have formed. The water that led to the formation of these mud cracks likely came from a combination of the flooding of water on Mars’ surface and rising groundwater, which ...

This indicates that water was still present on the surface of Mars episodically, meaning water could have been present for a time, evaporated, and repeated until polygons, or mud cracks, formed.

BOULDER, CO, USA: As Curiosity rover marches across Mars, the red planet's watery past comes into clearer focus. In early 2017 scientists announced the discovery of possible desiccation cracks in ...