Image of the east Candor Sulci area

Image of the east Candor Sulci area showing variations in color that help distinguish individual rock layers. These differences in color may be due to variances in chemical composition, physical make up, and/or surface roughness. All of these layers were originally flat and horizontal, like pages in a book, as wind-blown sand became trapped in shallow pools and lakes. Sometime after their formation, these layers became crumpled and up-ended by a large landslide.

A new set of high-resolution geologic maps reveal complex geologic processes that suggest a dynamic, wet environment once existed on early Mars, according to the USGS.