NASA orbiter detects infant versions of Martian spiders

​Washington: Using NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) data, researchers have detected cumulative growth of erosion-carved troughs that may be infant versions of larger features known as Martian "spiders," which are radially patterned channels found only in the south polar region of the Red Planet.

The spiders range in size from tens to hundreds of yards (or meters). Multiple channels typically converge at a central pit, resembling the legs and body of a spider.

The amount of erosion needed to sculpt a typical spider, at the rate determined from observing active growth of these smaller troughs, would require more than a thousand Martian years.