Swirl Shapes of Lava

NASA has identified ancient flowing lava as the source of these intriguing swirl formations, which seem almost too flawless. After all, this is the first time that lava flows like this have ever been seen on Mars, and experts believe the spirals are proof of an entirely new form.

If the spirals are correct, volcanoes may have sculpted a region near the red planet’s equator, not ice floes. Terrain plates cover the flow pathways and valleys on Mars, called Athabasca Valles, which are formations that provide unequivocal evidence of something breaking apart and floating over the planet’s surface tens of millions of years ago.