Part of the Martian Geologic Timescale
Prenoachian Period - Noachian Period - Hesperian Period
The Noachian Period is the second period of the Martian Geologic Timescale. This period begins with the formation of the Hellas impact basin. The Noachian featured warm temperatures and an abundance of water on the planet, with several lakes and perhaps even oceans throughout the planet. Some of the known lakes that existed during the time period were bigger than Earth's Lake Baikal and the Caspian Sea. The Noachian may or may not have boasted life, which may have evolved as early as the Prenoachian. Volcanic activity was excessive during the Noachian, as were impacts, as the Late Heavy Bombardment raged through the first 300 million years of this period, and may have destroyed all life and evaporated much of the planet's water for periods of time as is believed to have happened on Earth.
The Noachian is subdivided into three epochs: the Early Noachian, the Middle Noachian, and the Late Noachian.
Noachian Timescale:
Noachian Period - 4100-3700 MYA
-Early Noachian Epoch - 4100-3930 MYA
-Middle Noachian Epoch - 3930-3820 MYA
-Late Noachian Epoch - 3820-3700 MYA