Their results indicate that some of the layered regions may be 3.5 billion years old. On planet Earth, layered patterns like these are formed from sediment deposited over time by large bodies of water. Likewise, the layered beds on Mars may be sedimentary rock formed in ancient lakes and seas . The researchers caution, however, that other uniquely martian processes may be responsible for the layering. Because of their possible association with water, a prime location for future searches for fossil remains of martian life would be within these layers of Mars.
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