Seen from this perspective (and after the modifications) it could resemble a kind of structure, true. However, the filter applied by the OP inbetween
steps 3 and 4 gives the whole thing a much smoother & more roundish look.
In reality, that particular section looks more like compression artifacts (in the original image). My guess would by that the OP applied a kind of
'smart blur' filter, perhaps something with edge-detection?