The Geological History of Valles Marineris, Mars

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Mars exhibits the most Earth-like conditions of all planets within our solar system and is affected by many of the same geological processes found on Earth. Volcanism, wind erosion, water-driven processes and glaciers have all played a role in shaping the surface of Mars. This similarity has inspired mankind's imagination for a long time and understanding the geological history of Mars has been an important goal. Because of the lack of plate tectonics, the Martian surface preserves an earlier stage of planetary evolution than we can easily access on Earth. The primary goal of the current NASA Curiosity rover mission within the ~3.6 billion year old Gale crater is to investigate whether Mars had an environment able to support life by investigating layered deposits in that crater.