The Sedimentary History of Mars as Observed by Rovers

Mars has a sedimentary history that spans billions of years. Orbital images have allowed for the identification of vast regional sedimentary deposits that can be traced over 100s of kilometers and are 100s of meters thick including localized alluvial, deltaic, and lacustrine deposits. Detections of secondary minerals in these deposits from orbital spectroscopy suggest the aqueous history of early Mars varied as a function of space and time. Orbital observations, however, provide a simplified and incomplete picture of Mars sedimentary history because measurements for inferring sediment transport and deposition, such as lithology, grain size, and internal structures, and measurements for inferring sediment source and aqueous alteration, such as outcrop-scale mineralogic and geochemical composition and diagenetic features, cannot be identified from orbit. Rover observations have significantly enhanced our view of ancient and modern sedimentary environments on Mars, resulting in detailed reconstructions of paleo-environments and habitability