Flowers and coral made of rock
Event image. The tiny flower-shaped mineral structure, smaller than a penny, was photographed by MAHLI on 24 February 2022, sol 3396. Neighbouring rounded forms supply geological context.
NASA/JPL image-use policy · credited mission imagery, resized to WebP
· Original image source · Image licenceDelicate mineral branches and coral-like rocks invite a closer look at how familiar shapes form on Mars.
- World
- Mars
- Case date or period
- Image archive · 2022–2025
Look closer
Curiosity photographed a tiny flower-like structure in 2022 and the coral-shaped Paposo rock in 2025. These are separate finds, gathered here to compare branching shapes and erosion.
Follow the evidence
The source descriptions attribute the structures to mineral formation and subsequent erosion. The close views come from different rover cameras; visual resemblance alone does not establish a biological origin.
Three finds, not three views of one rock
The 2022 MAHLI flower is a separate observation from the 2025 coral-like finds. JPL identifies the later MAHLI target as Paposo, photographed with the camera about five centimetres away, and supplies another view from farther back. Its ChemCam caption describes a rock similar to the MAHLI example; it does not identify that specimen as Paposo. The two coral photographs should therefore be compared as similar structures, without assuming they show the same rock.
Making a branch without growing a plant
JPL’s Paposo account describes a sequence: water deposited dissolved minerals in cracks, then wind-driven sand removed softer surrounding rock and exposed the resistant material. The 2022 flower catalogue likewise attributes its tiny branching feature and neighbouring rounded forms to mineral cementation by water. These explanations concern rock formation and selective erosion. The shapes preserve a geological history; their familiar names do not identify flowers, coral or fossil organisms.
Sources & further reading
- Curiosity Finds a Martian Flower — NASA Image and Video Library / JPL
- Curiosity Views a Martian Rock Shaped Like Coral — NASA Image and Video Library / JPL
- Curiosity's ChemCam Views a Rock Shaped Like Coral — NASA Image and Video Library / JPL
- Curiosity Views a Martian Rock Shaped Like Coral — NASA / JPL
- Curiosity’s ChemCam Views a Rock Shaped Like Coral — NASA / JPL