A mysterious pyramid-like structure spotted on Mars has sparked theories that an ancient civilization similar to our own may have once existed on the Red Planet.
A viral post has flooded the internet this week, highlighting a NASA video of the Martian surface that some claim shows a three-sided pyramid.
The formation was initially spotted by researcher Keith Laney in footage captured by NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) in 2001. He was scanning the imagery for unusual structures when he came across what he believes could be an artificial formation.
He is quoted as saying: ‘Were this found anywhere on Earth, we’d surely be digging into it.’
The footage was recently reshared by documentary filmmaker Brian Dobbs, who claimed: ‘On Mars, there is a three-sided pyramid the size of the Great Pyramid in Egypt.’
Dobbs acknowledged the structure is far from proof of ancient life, but said it raises questions about whether another species could have once inhabited the planet.
The so-called ‘pyramid’ sits in the western region of Candor Chasma, one of the largest canyons within Valles Marineris, the second-largest canyon system in the solar system.
The region is known for steep cliffs, landslides and layered rock formations, which scientists say can naturally create unusual and highly geometric surface features.
A mysterious pyramid-like structure spotted on Mars has sparked theories that an ancient civilization such as ours could have once existed on the red planet
The formation has been observed across five separate images taken by NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter missions between 2001 and 2016.
The earliest image, taken on July 4, 2001, showed the formation illuminated from the west, highlighting one face of the structure while the others fell into shadow. A follow-up image in April 2002 captured similar features under different lighting conditions, again revealing a three-sided shape.
Later, more detailed images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, including one taken in 2007 with a much higher resolution, revealed additional surface features that were not visible in earlier photographs. These images showed sharper edges and more defined symmetry across the structure’s faces.
Further images taken in 2014 and 2016 continued to show the same triangular formation, with shifting sunlight casting varying shadows that emphasized its geometric appearance. In some cases, one side of the structure appeared almost completely dark, while others were partially illuminated.
Researchers noted that despite differences in image quality, sun angle and seasonal conditions, the formation consistently displayed a uniform, three-sided symmetry across all observations.
Dobbs is just one of many believers who have questioned whether potentially alien or artificial buildings on Mars, such as pyramids, could exist.
Speaking to the Daily Mail last year, Mars researcher George Haas echoed Laney’s findings and other investigations into similar objects on the planet’s surface.
‘You don’t have to be a geologist to know the difference between a rock and a sculpture, something that’s geometric,’ he explained.
The ‘pyramid’ sits in the Western Region of Candor Chasma, one of the largest canyons in the Valles Marineris, which is in itself the second longest and deepest canyon system in the whole Solar System
A viral post has flooded in internet this week, showing a NASA video of the Martian world, which many have claimed to find a three-sided pyramid on the surface
In a research paper co-authored with other investigators, Haas reported that ‘the structural form of this three-sided pyramid observed within the western region of Candor Chasma is real and exhibits a level of geometry and symmetry that supports a high probability of artificial origins.’
Laney commented on Haas’s findings, saying that the pyramid is ‘most definitely artificial.’
At the end of 2025, unearthed CIA documents revealed that the agency had conducted mysterious experiments in an effort to learn more about Mars.
According to the agency, these missions revealed that an ancient civilization that built at least one pyramid did exist, lending credence to Laney’s research.
Codenamed ‘Project Stargate,’ the researchers allegedly transported a subject’s consciousness back in time via astral projection.
The subject described seeing a mysterious pyramid and a road that suggested an ancient civilization lived on the planet.
‘It sort of looks… I kind of got an oblique view of a ah… pyramid or pyramid form,’ one of the test subjects of Project Stargate said.
Additionally, former CIA agent Joe McMoneagle also revealed that the agency had conducted experiments that spotted similar-looking pyramids across the surface of Mars.
McMoneagle described a pyramid larger than the ones in Egypt, filled with ‘monster rooms.’
Without actually setting foot on Mars, it will be difficult to determine the exact makeup of pyramids such as these, but that hasn’t stopped rampant speculation of how they were created.
