![A portion of rock outcropping within a small crater in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars, shown …[Credits : NASA/JPL/Cornell University]](http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/42/78242-004-B973A735.jpg)
A portion of rock outcropping within a small crater in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars, shown in an image made by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity in late January 2004. The outcropping varies in height from 30 to 45 cm (12 to 18 inches) along the crater. As interpreted by rover mission scientists, the rock layers apparently were laid down as deposits at the bottom of a body of flowing saltwater, probably on the shoreline of an ancient salty sea.
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