The Corium is a roughly spherical mass (diameter ~1km), of currently unknown origins situated within the core region of the solar system's asteroid belt.
The body was discovered during a uranium extraction mission undertaken by ET Resources at the behest of Station 733-H (Mars colony) leadership, when ionising radiation levels detected by deployed surface craft exceeded equipment and personnel tolerance levels by many orders of magnitude.

While ETR crew were quick to respond to local abort orders (27 minutes from initial readings to fleet reorientation); Station 733-H made the determination that radiation exposure levels were already far in excess of anything that could be reasonably mitigated upon the ETR fleet's return.
The ETR fleet was ordered to jettison fuel reserves under Section 9 of the Space Corporations Act (Mars) approximately 90 minutes after the readings were initially reported. It is understood that all deployed personnel accessed their barbiturate rations within the following 24 hours.

The fleet itself remains in position some ~3000kms from The Corium, with plans to relocate the vessels still underway (albeit a low priority).


STATION 733-H OBSERVATION REPORT SUMMARY (14.1.1)

To date, remote analysis suggests that the body is compositionally similar to corium deposits observed following terrestrial nuclear disasters, consisting of a range of solidified radioactive compounds as well as a number of currently unidentified metal alloys. More in-depth analysis has been impossible to date due to the rapid physical decay of personnel and equipment as their proximity to samples reach a critical threshold.

All samples have so far been extruded from the surface of The Corium via laser, and maneuvered into orbit around Mars at the edge of it's sphere of influence (at a distance of no less than 50,000kms from Station 733-H), via projectile barrage and gas envelopment.

The surface of The Corium itself is littered with an array of clearly engineered forms; radial and rectangular patterns, deep crevasses, mazes and grids with only a select few areas resembling the pools of lava observed where Corium has formed terrestrially (it is unclear whether these deposits have formed since the surface was initially engineered).

The accompanying files are LIDAR renders of the extracted samples in proximity to Station 733-H and are marked for dissemination to terrestrial research teams on Mars. Study of The Corium remains the sole priority of Station 733-H research personnel, as any risks presented to the solar system or its inhabitants are currently not well understood.

--------------------------------------

The piece will render from the top right and might take ~5-10 seconds to begin.

Append "&print=true" to the live render URL for a hi-res output.