Mars and Earth: Columnar Jointing - related image preview

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Mars and Earth: Columnar Jointing

Although Mars is in many ways quite different from Earth—smaller, colder, drier, and hostile to life—the geology of the two worlds is sometimes quite similar. Columnar jointing—a distinctive pattern of hexagonal cracks—is visible in rocks on both planets.


Mars image courtesy High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, University of Arizona. Devil’s Tower image courtesy Wyoming Geographic Information Advisory Council. Caption by Robert Simmon.

Published June 10, 2009
Data acquired October 31, 2007

Source:
Aircraft Sensors > Camera