NASA rover captures unusual ‘stacked’ rocks on Mars, scientists explain why this happened
NASA’s Perseverance Rover photographed a strange rock formation on Mars that appears vertically stacked, leading to fresh discussions about the planet’s geology.
Published By: Shubham Arora | Published: May 23, 2026, 12:08 PM (IST)
NASA's Perseverance Rover discovered another mysterious structure on Mars that appears like a group of rocks stacked vertically on the planet's parched terrain. The picture was taken using the Mastcam-Z camera, which is mounted high on the rover and captures detailed images of the planet's surface. It was taken on May 13, 2026, which was the 1859th day, or Sol, of the Perseverance mission on Mars.
Online discussions grew quickly due to the symmetrical nature of the rocks seen in this picture. Some observers noted that they appeared to have been placed in an orderly manner as if they were stacked by hand; however, scientists say the natural setting provides an explanation.
According to researchers, weathering of rocks will eventually cause them to wear down and erode due to wind action and environmental conditions over millions of years. As a result, uneven surfaces will form, eventually causing the rocks to come within close proximity of one another.
What scientists think may have happened
Researchers think the rock formation may well be part of a single rock that broke apart, rather than being separate rocks stacked together. Wind has reshaped Mars for millions of years.
Scientists believe that Mars was very different from that of today. The planet was believed to contain flowing streams, changing weather conditions, and different geological processes. Scientists spend a large amount of time trying to learn how the surface of Mars has changed through time by studying odd rock formations.
As noted by earlier studies conducted by Curiosity Rover, an important contributor to the landscape of Mars in its present condition is the extreme winds that continually erode large areas of rock. Additionally, scientists believe that there was a time when old riverbeds contributed to breaking down and moving the large bodies of rock that now exist on the surface.
Mars has had many strange images in the past
NASA's missions have produced a great number of images of Mars that, when viewed initially, have appeared strange. Over the past years, there have been several instances where NASA rover photographs have produced strange distinct patterns, strangely shaped objects and striped rocks on the Martian surface which produced much internet buzz.
The most notable instance of unusual photograph was from NASA's Viking mission in 1976. Viking produced a photograph that appeared to be a giant face resembling a human. Later photographs proved that it was simply a large pile of rocks, however, when viewed in 1976 the face was an illusion created by the lighting and image quality of the photograph.
Perseverance has already produced pictures of many similar objects that appeared strange at first and were later proven to be typical geological formations.
Why formations like these matter
Researchers study formations on Mars for insight into its historical development. The breakdown of rocks helps build a picture of conditions long past.
Still, a large portion of Mars remains unexplored, and rovers like Perseverance provide the best analogue for ground-based research. Every image and scan of the Martian surface sends information back to Earth and contributes towards understanding how Mars has experienced change over time.
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