A drill core sample extracted by NASA's Curiosity rover from Gale Crater reveals distinct layers of Martian sedimentary rock. Each band represents a different depositional event, preserving a timeline of ancient environmental conditions when water shaped the Martian landscape billions of years ago. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Martian Geology as Archive: Reading Climate History in Rock Layers
When future geologists walk across the Martian surface, they won't just be exploring alien terrain—they'll be reading a planetary diary written in stone. Mars preserves a geological record spanning…