Posted on 05/23/2026 9:41:27 AM PDT by Red Badger
NASA's Mars Perseverance rover has stumbled across an unusual sight: a stack of rocks on the Martian surface.
How did they end up this way? Did Perseverance knock them over? So many questions.
What is it? Perseverance, or Percy for short, captured this bizarre image of rocks stacked on Mars on May 13(or Sol 1859, the rover's 1,859th day on the Red Planet). The image was captured with the rover's Mastcam-Z camera — a pair of two cameras located high up on the rover's mast, looking almost like a pair of eyes that the craft sees through.
You may have seen rock stacks like this while hiking, and while there can sometimes be reason to knock them over, some serve as important trail markers, according to the National Parks Service.
But this rock stack isn't pointing the way on any hiking trail. Instead, it's sitting strangely on the surface of the Red Planet appearing as three rocks stacked on top of one another, almost like a sandwich, in the middle of the dusty, reddish terrain.
However, it's more likely that what we're seeing is actually one rock that broke apart this way due to wind erosion or being exposed to flowing water on ancient Mars. Based on observations made by NASA's other Mars rover, Curiosity, scientists suspect that winds are the primary force of geological change on Mars, wearing down rocks over hundreds of millions or even billions of years.
Why is it incredible? This isn't the first strange rock we've seen on the surface of Mars. Everything from a sphere-studded rock to bizarre evenly-spaced rocks and even a striped rock have been found by NASA's Mars rovers, sparking curiosity along the way. Conspiracies even arose when a photo from NASA's Viking mission in 1976 revealed a rocky site that, to some, resembled a human head and face.
While it's fun to explore and entertain the "what ifs" when we stumble across something new or unusual, getting to the real answer can be even more interesting.
No humans have ever been to Mars (yet), so we can be certain a rogue hiker didn't stack these rocks up for fun. But uncovering the true backstory of these rocks and their appearance on Mars can help scientists to better understand the planet's history and inner workings.
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That’s a rare, Martian, rock creature.
I ran an oilfield lease back in the day called Bolder Creek which ran along side some Local Native American tribes. There were very large boulders all over with a plathora of assorted sizes. I stacked a few 7-9 stacks on top of a few very large boulders. They were very cool. I told my work mates the word from the local Natives was-they were not to be disturbed. They were all in awe of the stacks and would talk to others of the great find. When I broke the truth a few years later,they were quite irate!🗿
You’re a liberal at heart ... control freak.
In my town we have someone who likes stacking stones in the island between lanes. I can see knocking those down as a good thing. A gust of wind could knock them down spreading big rocks all over the road. Out in the middle of nowhere? So what. They aren’t hurting anybody. Just leave them alone.
looks like petrified turd
I agree, but that’s not how blowhard jackasses behave.
It is evidence of material (the rocks) of a different composition than the surrounding material and with that different composition that material (the rocks) has not been broken down as much over time by environmental factors.
It is also evidence of the kindergarten state of human understanding of Mars’ geology.
Far from being stacked,,,,one large stone that suffered stress fractures from intense heat of the Sun. Scientists have to stop smoking that stuff.
You are a moron, and you could be putting people at risk, to no purpose. Do you also remove street signs in order to “improve the appearance” of the landscape?
No such thing. You’re the one telling me to stop doing what I choose to do, whereas I have told you in as many words that I’m fine with you doing whatever you want. That would seem to make you the control freak. Also, accusing others of what you yourself are doing is a pretty liberal (in the recent sense) mindset. That means that you probably aren’t capable of conducting any sort of logical discussion, but simply are descending into lame insults.
This is exactly the kind of clickbait headlines people who believe in space aliens cite as evidence.
They are unnecessary and unsightly. That’s enough reason to remove them, even out in the middle of nowhere. I wouldn’t think that spray-painting rocks or carving up trees is OK, either.
How long will it be before the guys from The Curse of Oak Island book a trip to Mars?
No doubt about it, that strongly resembles 13th century Portugese wall construction; has all the earmarks of connections to the Knights Templar. Where’s the metal detector? Gary? Gary??
You’re the one talking about street signs, not me, so I guess that makes you the moron as far as reading comprehension goes. I also do not agree that removing piles of rocks from trails puts anyone at risk. It restores the situation to what it would have been if people didn’t put up silly little piles of rocks in the first place. That is the purpose of removing them.
It’s those Generation Zero Hikers. The NPS (National Planet System) is asking people to knock them down when they see them.
Yep.
I watched “Paint Your Wagon” last night. Ray was a good old boy.
We’re doing good since we each understand how the other thinks on this issue. Now, people who litter the trail need summary execution. ;-D
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