Anomalous Objects on Mars
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One thing that is common on Mars is anomalous or unexplainable objects. So many anomalies exist that it is difficult to classify some of them. This page will attempts to bring some of the most unusual ones to attention and then ask why NASA, being a meter or two from most of these objects, did not take the time to explore the most mystifying things we have yet found. NOTE: clicking the file name will take you to the raw data on the NASA/JPL web site.
My book, "A Fossil Hunter's Guide to Mars" explains why we find these forms on Mars and what the represent. Buy a copy today.
| Gears or wheels - there are a few of these objects on the surface of Mars, but these are not machine parts or artifacts.
These are actually a type of sea shell that appears very similar to a gear. The Sol 029 images are from the same file in the right edge, image 2P128948498EFF0327P2380L4M1.JPG on the NASA/JPL web site. The Sol 288 gear shell is from another file, image 2P151930506EFF8987P2418L7M1.JPG also on the NASA/JPL web site. You can see it on the right side of the image. Thanks to Hugh Hoyland for sending me this finding. |
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| Curved objects - these often appear to be fragments of a broken sea shell. One of the best examples is from Opportunity, Sol 792. This stereo image shows the curvature is smooth and changes just as it would in a seashell found on any beach.
This is an anaglyph view and requires red/blue glasses to see in 3D. This is from the shadowed lower portion of the image in file 1P198492715EFF68Q9P2575L7M1.JPG on the NASA/JPL web site. |
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| Curled objects - true anomalies that are not easy to explain, but appear more organic than mineral in nature. Opportunity Sol 777 has an excellent example. This cross-eyed stereo view is clear and proves that the shape is real and not an illusion.
This is from 1P197164576EFF67FWP2379L7M1.JPG on the NASA/JPL web site. You can see it in the lower left corner. |
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| Geometric objects - this one is very odd, appearing to be an elongated hexagon with a small ball or hemisphere at its center. Faint radial lines are also visible on the hexagon. This may be a part of a blastoid or similar fossil. This is from Opportunity, Sol 959 and others near that time.
This is a false-color view. You can see the original data in file 1P213319859EFF76P4P2590L5M1.JPG on the NASA/JPL web site. |
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Odd shaped objects such as this are hard to explain. This object is bizarre and appears to be some curved device with a handle or stem, but it is likely no more than a strange rock. It does show a somewhat hexagonal shape however, and would be consistent with the base of a crinoid calyx or blastoid. Both are common fossils on Mars. From Sol 414, file 1P164936202EFF51__P2583L7M1.JPG on the NASA/JPL web site. |
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| Rind objects are very common. I have devoted an entire page to them (see my blastoids fossil page). This is a pair of the objects.
See the whole page at this link: Blastoids Also, see my brief movie on the subject on YouTube: YouTube Blastoids movie |
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| Sea shells are quite common on Mars. Some appear like this specimen from Opportunity, Sol 166. This is a cross-eyed stereo view of the shell, which is broken open.
The original data is from file 1P142919049EFF3221P2396R1M1.JPG on the NASA/JPL web site. |
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| Another excellent sea shell find is from Spirit in Gusev Crater. This shows the form of a broken-open spiral shell that is pointed right at the rover imager. This is from Sol 913 as well as others.
The original image is from file 2P207413625EFFAS00P2278L7M1.JPG on the NASA/JPL web site. |
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| This is another sea shell from Spirit, and it is very similar to a whelk shell. It is in the same image frame as the shell seen above. |  |
There are many more anomalies, far too many to place on a single page. So far, everything I have found appears to have been a marine fossil, which is consistent with the history of Mars. It was once covered in vast oceans and held the proper conditions for life to develop, and we now see fossils all over the planet. NASA will not simply drive up and take closer images of these items, solving the mysteries once and for all.
xenotechresearch.com/Anomaly1.htm
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Tonight's guest Sir Charles Shults sent us an image which coveys the vast number of enigmatic objects seen on the Martian surface.
www.coasttocoastam.com/gen/page2853.html