A strange formation spotted deep within a massive Martian canyon is once again fueling debate over whether something more than geology is at work on the Red Planet.
According to the New York Post, footage circulating online shows what appears to be a sharply defined, three-sided pyramid rising from the rugged terrain of Mars.
The structure, located in Valles Marineris, has drawn renewed attention after being shared by documentary filmmaker Brian Dobbs, who questioned whether the formation could be artificial.
“On Mars, there is a three-sided pyramid the size of the Great Pyramid in Egypt,” Dobbs wrote while posting zoomed-in footage of the object.
The unusual feature was first identified in 2001 by NASA researcher Keith Laney while analyzing data from the Mars Global Surveyor.
At the time, Laney suggested the formation was striking enough to warrant closer study.
“Were this found anywhere on Earth, we’d surely be digging into it,” he said.
The structure appears in a region known for dramatic cliffs and layered rock formations, where natural processes can sometimes create geometric-looking shapes. Still, Dobbs questioned whether that alone explains the symmetry.
“What geological process creates a three-sided pyramidal structure like this?” he asked. “It just is so baffling to me why we can take a look at this and say to ourselves there is nothing to see here, clearly this is an anomaly.”
According to reports, the formation has been observed multiple times between 2001 and 2016, consistently maintaining its shape.
Others have echoed the speculation. Researcher George Haas argued in a recent paper that the structure “exhibits a level of geometry and symmetry that supports a high probability of artificial origins.”
“You don’t have to be a geologist to know the difference between a rock and a sculpture, something that’s geometric,” he said.
Claims of possible artificial structures gained further traction after documents linked to the Central Intelligence Agency referenced a mission examining Martian terrain.
Former agent Joe McMoneagle described massive pyramid-like structures, including one with “monster rooms.”
Not everyone is convinced. Avi Loeb, a scientist at Harvard University, said the formation could have a natural explanation.
“We know that Mars had lakes, rivers, oceans of water, liquid water,” he said. “So you could get shapes like that.”
He also pushed back on comparisons to Egyptian pyramids, noting, “they are made of stones, the blocks that you don’t see in this image.”
“If I were to see that, then I would obviously say it’s a construction.”
Still, the debate continues, with some calling for closer inspection of the mysterious structure to determine whether it’s a trick of nature — or something far more extraordinary.
