The Strange, Black, "Spidery Things" on Mars - and a Possible Explanation

reply to post by dcmb1409


I LOVE YOU ALL Its understood you have to do your jobs

dbl pst please excuse

Originally posted by tauristercus
Is it just me or does anyone else also get the impression that this image is "organic" in origin ?

That was my first thought. It actually looks like some kind of mold to me. If it is, then we've technically discovered life on Mars.

reply to post by Saurus


I don't think those are trees, but rather if you were to consider the scale and angle those are likely to be erosion features. But what does an erosion feature usually imply? Water acting on the surface topography in some form.

Yet I think this could still be indicative of surface life, because of the possible presence of water. Not that what is seen is one giant plant, but rather the darker coloration could could be a bloom of activity where moisture may have been most present and that's where the water pooled and ran down before soaking in or evaporating off once again. So the possibility of some kind of "Martian Lichen" might be an interesting idea to pursue. There's also the small chance that such a thing could have been seeded from our own planet due to meteorites or what have you.

And some food for thought...


This photo is taken here on Earth and from what I understand, not all that black stuff on the glacier is just dirt collecting from wind blowing over it. Some of it is micro-organisms growing on or in the ice itself.

bioice.wordpress.com... lichen-catalyse-the-freezing-of-water-the-extent-and-basis-of-eukaryotic-ice-nuclea/

The info on the above link is kind of interesting, particularly when considering how some plant would survive in a cold and dry climate where water can sublimate rather easy.

www.planetary.org...

And that link suggests that some things may be able to live on Mars, even if it didn't originate there.

I'm not saying that stuff pictured in the Mars photo is life, but I still wouldn't rule it out. I'm sure some NASA guys would be considering it along those lines, but to be scientific such hypothesis still needs validation and verification. Until there are enough samples or scans made using known workable methods, it still wouldn't be possible to say in the affirmative.

Looks almost like natural oilfields? I mean if once mars had water then maybe trees... and billions of years past pressure rises.. there you have its OIL.... yihaa economy boost .. Next mission NASA autonomous pump jack on the move...

Originally posted by Ophiuchus 13

can any see a fluid spray going on and any thing below?

No, I don't see a fluid spray going on.
I had a long discussion with some other members about that photo, some years ago.

And no, I do not get paid to post my opinion, in the same way (I suppose) you do not get paid to post yours.

It's OIL !!!, Oil I tell ya..OIL !!!!!!

Plants colonize space from the start of time

Seeds are blown by natural forces into space and they travel the cosmos, like anywhere sometimes they fall on fertile ground

The seeds are low in mass so gravity dosnt affect them much when they enter atmosphere
not all plants can do it but most can

plants like a different atmosphere than humans do

the spring is when most plants start a new cycle

Originally posted by HiGilgamesh
the spring is when most plants start a new cycle

But why near the poles instead of warmer areas?

It would be great if it was plants or oil but studies offer a different view.

Mars’ seasonal cap of carbon dioxide ice (dry ice) has eroded many beautiful terrains as it sublimates (goes directly from ice to vapor) every spring. In this region we see troughs that form a starburst pattern. In other areas these radial troughs have been referred to as “spiders,” simply because of their shape. In this region the pattern looks more dendritic as channels branch out numerous times as they get further from the center. The troughs are believed to be formed by gas flowing beneath the seasonal ice to openings where the gas escapes, carrying along dust from the surface below. The dust falls to the surface of the ice in fan-shaped deposits. Written by: Candy Hansen (25 March 2009) hirise.lpl.arizona.edu...

araneiforms - geophysical research

www.agu.org...


Mars Reveals Spider-Like Features at South Pole

news.softpedia.com...


Making polar spiders in the lab - bottom of page

redplanet.asu.edu...


41st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2010)-CRACKS IN SEASONAL SEMI-TRANSLUCENT ICE LAYER IN MARTIAN POLAR AREAS.

www.lpi.usra.edu...

I perfer the CO2 explanation until its proven otherwise.

I know! Fast growing/ fast decomposing Martian Palm Trees! Now I just need some SPF 1000000 and have Marvin bring me a martian Pina Colada! (oh some more air might be nice as well)

Could be teraforming in progress. Hope so.