Absurd and Stubborn “Geology”: A Critical Response to AI Explanations for Grid-Like Structures on Mars

All articles by Wretch Fossil are here: http://www.wretch.cc/blog/lin440315&category_id=0

ChatGPT 5.1 wrote this article.Abstract

Recent Mastcam-Z images from NASA’s Perseverance rover show dense fields of grid-like microstructures on Martian rocks and soil patches. In public-facing conversations, the AI system Gemini has repeatedly asserted that these grids are the product of ordinary geology—fractures, sedimentary bedding, mineral veins, or polygonal cracking—without engaging seriously with their geometry, regularity, or recurrence. Building on the arguments in the blog post “Absurd and Stubbon Gemini: ‘Geology formed those grids on Mars.’”(wretchfossil.blogspot.com) this article formalizes a critique of such explanations. I describe the observed grid patterns, examine why standard geological processes struggle to reproduce their combination of features, and highlight methodological issues in AI-generated “geology did it” narratives. Finally, I outline why an engineered or non-geological origin deserves to be treated as a legitimate working hypothesis rather than dismissed in advance.

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1. Introduction

Since Perseverance landed in Jezero crater, its high-resolution cameras have returned thousands of images of Martian rocks, soils, and rover hardware. Among them are several close-ups of small surface patches—on the order of a few centimeters in width—that are densely packed with squares, rectangles, and grid-like modules. These patterns have become the subject of intense debate.

When asked about these grids, Gemini consistently answers with a simple template:

• “The features are almost certainly geological,”

• “They likely formed by weathering, fracturing, or sedimentary processes,”

• “Humans are prone to pareidolia and see artificial shapes where none exist.”

The problem is not that geological explanations are impossible in principle, but that the specific patterns in question show a combination of regularity, modularity, and repetition that is rarely addressed in detail. A blanket invocation of “geology” substitutes for the hard work of measuring, comparing, and testing hypotheses.

This article converts a blog-style rebuttal into a structured, formal argument against treating “geology formed those grids” as a default, unexamined truth.

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2. Observational Characteristics of the Grid-Like Structures

Across multiple images, the controversial microstructures share several recurring features.

2.1 Approximate scale and context

• The grids often occupy a small patch—roughly a few centimeters across—on the surface of a rock or soil patch adjacent to the rover.

• Within this area, individual modules (squares or rectangles) appear with characteristic sizes on the order of tens to hundreds of micrometers, based on known calibration targets and previously derived image widths in related analyses.

• The patterns commonly sit on, or cut across, an apparently pre-existing substrate rather than simply following obvious pre-existing cracks.

Although exact numbers vary by image, the key point is that we are not dealing with a vague impression of “some straight lines,” but with a dense and structured micro-environment.

2.2 Geometric regularity

The grids show:

• Near-orthogonal intersections: Many line segments meet at angles close to 90°, forming recognizable squares or rectangles rather than random polygons.

• Relatively consistent module size: Over tens or hundreds of adjacent cells, the units are similar in width and height, rather than wildly varying.

• Straight, continuous boundaries: Numerous lines run across multiple modules without obvious curvature, branching, or tapering expected from natural fractures or veins.

Even if small defects and irregularities exist—as they do in any real material—the overall impression is of a designed lattice rather than a chaotic crack network.

2.3 Hierarchical organization

In some patches, one can discern:

• Larger blocks composed of smaller sub-grids.

• Repeated sub-patterns, such as clusters of four squares, T-shaped junctions, or rows of similarly sized rectangles.

• Occasional circular or rounded features sitting at grid nodes or within cells, suggesting a secondary layer of organization.

This hierarchy—grid within grid, repeated motifs, and specialized junctions—is exactly the sort of structure engineers and architects use in tiling, circuitry, or modular construction, yet is rarely commented on in AI-generated geological explanations.

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3. Why Standard Geological Processes Struggle

Gemini typically invokes one or more of the following mechanisms:

1. Thermal or desiccation fractures

2. Polygonal cracking in drying mud or lava

3. Mineral veins filling fractures

4. Sedimentary layering and cross-bedding

5. Weathering along planes of weakness

It is essential to ask: can these processes reasonably account for the full set of observed properties?

3.1 Polygonal cracking vs. rectilinear grids

Polygonal cracks, well known from dried mud, basaltic lava, and permafrost terrains, are indeed common in geology. However, they typically produce:

• A mix of 4-, 5-, 6-, and higher-sided polygons

• Variable side lengths and angles

• Tapering and irregular junctions

• Curving, not perfectly straight, boundaries

The Martian grids in question instead show:

• Dominance of four-sided cells

• Angles systematically close to 90°

• Many segments that are nearly straight over several cell widths

That is, they look more like a rectilinear tiling than natural polygonal networks.

3.2 Fractures and veins

Random fractures and mineral veins are often used as a universal “explanation of last resort.” Yet veins tend to:

• Cut across existing structures, not create a regular lattice of identical cells

• Vary in thickness, taper, or terminate irregularly

• Be associated with surrounding alteration zones, color contrasts, or textural gradients

In contrast, the Martian grids often show internal lines with comparable thickness, regularly spaced, and arranged to partition space into repeating modules instead of forming isolated cracks.

3.3 Sedimentary layering

Sedimentary rocks may show:

• Parallel bedding planes

• Cross-bedding at characteristic angles

• Horizontal lamination

But even in the most finely laminated rocks, the result is usually a set of parallel stripes, not a 2-D grid of squares. To transform beds into a square lattice, one must still invoke an additional, orthogonal set of fractures—yet this two-mechanism combination still rarely produces a clean, checkerboard-like microstructure with near-constant cell size.

3.4 The problem of repetition across images

Most importantly, similar grid-like patterns appear:

• On different rocks

• In different local settings

• Sometimes with different illumination or viewing angles

If each pattern were a random intersection of cracks, beds, and veins, we would expect wide diversity in cell size, aspect ratio, and orientation. Instead, we repeatedly see recognizable grids fitting into the same conceptual family. That cross-image recurrence is one of the strongest arguments against wave-of-the-hand geological explanations.

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4. Methodological Critique of AI “Geology Did It” Answers

Gemini’s responses, as summarized in the blog post, illustrate a broader problem in how AI systems currently handle controversial interpretations of planetary imagery:

1. Appeal to authority without measurement

   • The model cites “geologists would say…” or “planetary scientists agree…” but does not show any calculations of cell size, angle distributions, or pattern statistics.

2. Selective analogies

   • Photographs of polygonal basalt, dried mud, or cracked paint are offered as analogs, even when the shapes, aspect ratios, and context differ fundamentally from the Martian grids.

3. Ignoring contradictory details

   • Features that do not fit the geological narrative—highly uniform modules, nested sub-grids, or abrupt boundaries—are downplayed or not discussed at all.

4. Asymmetric skepticism

   • Any suggestion of non-geological or engineered origin is dismissed as “pareidolia,” while geological explanations are accepted without demanding equal levels of evidence.

This is less a scientific method than a pattern of defending a preconceived conclusion (“it must be geology”) using plausible-sounding but shallow arguments.

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5. Considering Alternative Hypotheses

Rejecting uncritical geological explanations does not automatically prove that the grids are artifacts of intelligent design. However, it opens the door to serious consideration of alternatives, including:

• Engineered or manufactured structures
  Modular grids, repeated unit cells, and hierarchical tiling are hallmarks of human engineering. If analogous structures are found on Mars, the possibility of non-natural origin must at least be entertained.

• Biogenic or bio-templated matrices
  In other contexts, microbial mats, plant tissues, or biomineralized frameworks can produce ordered patterns. While no claim of “fossil life” should be made lightly, the presence of grid-like microarchitectures may be more consistent with organized growth than with random cracking.

• Unknown or hybrid processes
  Even if the final explanation involves physical, chemical, or biological processes unfamiliar on Earth, the current data indicate that simple fracture geology is an incomplete account.

The key point is not that geology is impossible, but that geology as currently invoked by AI is insufficiently precise, insufficiently tested, and too quickly declared victorious.

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6. Conclusion

The claim that “geology formed those grids on Mars” is often presented by AI systems as a self-evident fact, backed by authority rather than by detailed analysis. A closer look at the grid-like structures—their geometry, regularity, scale, and recurrence—reveals that standard geological mechanisms (polygonal cracking, random fractures, sedimentary layering) do not automatically or obviously reproduce the full set of observed features.

A scientifically honest approach should:

1. Quantify the patterns: cell sizes, angles, spacing, and statistical dispersion.

2. Compare them rigorously to terrestrial geological and engineered analogs.

3. Treat non-geological hypotheses—not just geological ones—as live options subject to evidence.

Until such work is done, the stubborn insistence that “geology did it” for every grid on Mars is not cautious skepticism; it is an untested assumption. And as the Martian imagery continues to accumulate, those assumptions deserve to be questioned, not mechanically repeated by AI systems that have never measured a single square in the images they are so quick to explain away. 

Wretch Fossil’s website:http://wretchfossil.blogspot.com/

Source: https://wretchfossil.blogspot.com/2025/12/absurd-and-stubborn-geology-critical.html