NASA’s Curiosity rover has begun drilling into a mysterious terrain on Mars that could reshape our understanding of the planet’s watery history. The robot, roughly the size of a Mini Cooper, recently arrived at a region known as "boxwork" — a vast expanse of crisscrossing ridges stretching up to 12 miles.

This area, visible for years via orbital imagery but never studied on the ground, was believed to be the final resting place of Mars' last surface water. However, the presence of tiny white calcium sulfate veins in the rock — a mineral usually formed when groundwater flows through cracks — has shocked mission scientists.

“These calcium sulfate veins used to be everywhere, but they more or less disappeared as we climbed higher up Mount Sharp,” said Abigail Fraeman, Curiosity’s deputy project scientist. “The team is excited to figure out why they’ve returned now.”

The discovery, made in higher geological layers previously thought to be dry, implies that subsurface water remained active much later in Martian history than experts assumed. This revelation could significantly alter timelines regarding the planet’s habitability and climate evolution.

As Curiosity continues to drill and analyze samples in the boxwork terrain, NASA scientists hope to uncover deeper insights into Mars’ complex hydrological past.