Mathematicians Alexander Safonov and Kirill Minchenkov from the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) have discovered that honeycomb-like voids in the mountains of Mars are caused by the evaporation of salt water. The results of the calculations made by the scientists were published in the journal Geosciences.

The "honeycombs" in the rocks on Mars have been studied for almost 100 years. In geology, this type of erosion is called honeycomb weathering. However, scientists have not found a comprehensive answer to the question of how "honeycombs" are formed on the Red Planet.

According to Safonov, different hypotheses for the appearance of the mysterious relief have been considered, including those related to water erosion, the effects of salt, and temperature changes. Together with his colleague, Safonov created a computer model simulating the weathering of rock during the evaporation of salt water.

The calculations showed that the formation of "honeycombs" involves water and salt crystals, which accumulate inside microcracks in rocks. Under certain conditions, the water evaporates, and the salt residues gradually destroy the rock. The researchers believe that understanding this mechanism will help planetologists in studying the relief of Mars.

Earlier, www1.ru wrote that Lavochkin Scientific and Production Association is preparing the "Boomerang" mission to extract soil from the Martian moon Phobos.