Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory
Published on: November 15, 2013
Sedimentary rocks of early Mars
1Malin Space Science Systems, Post Office Box 910148, San Diego, CA 92191-0148, USA.
Abstract:
Layered and massive outcrops on Mars, some as thick as 4 kilometers, display the geomorphic attributes and stratigraphic relations of sedimentary rock. Repeated beds in some locations imply a dynamic depositional environment during early martian history. Subaerial (such as eolian, impact, and volcaniclastic) and subaqueous processes may have contributed to the formation of the layers. Affinity for impact craters suggests dominance of lacustrine deposition; alternatively, the materials were deposited in a dry, subaerial setting in which atmospheric density, and variations thereof mimic a subaqueous depositional environment. The source regions and transport paths for the materials are not preserved.
Related Concept Videos
Conditions on Early Earth
The Fossil Record
Conditions on Early Earth
Bricks
Soft mud bricks are shaped in molds with high moisture content and can be...
Shape and Texture of Coarse Aggregate
Origin of Cellular Life

