Mars overview learning path

Formation and early history

Mars formed about 4.5 billion years ago along with the other planets. Its early history is commonly divided into major geological periods, beginning with the Noachian period (roughly 4.5 to 3.5 billion years ago), when the surface was heavily shaped by meteor impacts, valley formation and erosion, possible water oceans, and the loss of Mars’s magnetosphere. Following the Noachian, the Hesperian period (starting about 3.5 billion years ago and ending roughly 3.3–2.9 billion years ago) was dominated by widespread volcanic activity and flooding. These processes carved large outflow channels across the planet. The Amazonian period, which continues to the present, is characterized by the remaining influence on Mars’s geology and ongoing (though different) geological processes.

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Late Heavy Bombardment

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