Nasa spots gigantic structures on the surface of Mars that stand 16 storeys high
Stargazers baffled by huge formations which could shed light on the Red Planet's history
NASA scientists have spotted a series of huge structures on the surface of Mars.
The massive formations have baffled experts due to their sheer size.
Some of the bizarre form features "thin, blade-like walls" which are as tall as a 16 storey building.
They are not believed to be alien homes, however, and are more likely to be have formed by lava way back in the planet's history.
Nasa described the structures as "polygonal ridges" and has found them at sites across the planet.
It said the "simplest explanation for these impressive ridges is that lava flowed into pre-existing fractures in the ground and later resisted erosion better than material around them".
"Finding these ridges in the Medusae Fossae region set me on a quest to find all the types of polygonal ridges on Mars," said Laura Kerber of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
"Polygonal ridges can be formed in several different ways, and some of them are really key to understanding the history of early Mars.
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"Many of these ridges are mineral veins, and mineral veins tell us that water was circulating underground."
The structures can be found at several evocatively-named sites, including
It is likely they were formed by water, which means they could one day allow us to finally discover whether life ever existed on Mars.
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