Gregory Retallack, University of Oregon (IMAGE)

University of Oregon

Gregory Retallack, University of Oregon

Caption

Geologist Gregory Retallack, based on images and data gathered by the Mars rover Curiosity, believes 3.7 billion-year-old rocks at the bottom of the Gale impact crater contain fossilized soil. Such soil, called paleosols, have been found in the oldest Earth soils and their presence suggests microbial life was likely.

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Photo by Tim Christie

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