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Chaotic Martian Feature Looks Like the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi Roof

A little more than a decade ago, Italian brand Ferrari entered the entertainment world with the opening of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the first Prancing Horse-themed park. Covering an area of 86,000 square meters (926,000 square feet), it’s the place where you can find the mighty Formula Rossa, the world's fastest rollercoaster, which takes tourists down its twisty tracks to speeds of up to 240 kph (149 mph) in just 4.9 seconds.
Chaotic terrain in the Aromatum Chaos region of Mars 6 photos
Photo: NASA/JPL/UArizona
Chaotic terrain in the Aromatum Chaos region of MarsAromatum Chaos region of MarsAromatum Chaos region of MarsAromatum Chaos region of MarsAromatum Chaos region of Mars
As it stands, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is unique in this world, both in terms of the rides and attractions it offers (we could further mention Flying Aces, Fiorano GT Challenge, and the Turbo Track), but also in terms of design.

The large park has, at its center, a massive red roof in a three-pointed star configuration (or six-pointed star, depending on your stance on the matter), inspired by the double curve of a Ferrari body shell.

The idea popped into the heads of the people over at Benoy Architects and was put into practice, among others, by European developer of aluminum products Reynaers. None of those companies have offices on Mars, but it kind of seems something there stole their idea.

What you’re looking at now is described by scientists and NASA and the University of Arizona as chaotic terrain. It’s a place on the aptly-named Aromatum Chaos region, as seen through the lens of the HiRISE camera in orbit around the planet back in 2020, from an altitude of 268 km (167 miles).

We get a circular feature in the middle, just like the eye of the Ferrari World roof, and from that three long arms that erratically shoot out in opposite directions. Sure, they don’t end in two tips each, and that could make it just as similar to, say, a propeller, but to these eyes, there’s something theme park-ish about it.

Scientists say we’re seeing “collapse features and potential dikes.” The most probable explanation for their appearance is that “groundwater has broken out and undermined the surface, loosening the rocky material and washing it away.”
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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