Valles Marineris is a gigantic canyon system on Mars stretching over 4,000 km and reaching depths of several kilometres, making it vastly larger than the Grand Canyon on Earth.
Overview of Valles Marineris
The canyon system runs along Mars’s equator just east of the Tharsis region, extends roughly 4,000 km across, and in places is about 200 km wide and up to around 7 km deep, spanning nearly a quarter of the planet’s circumference.
How the Canyon Formed
Most researchers agree Valles Marineris began as a large tectonic rift related to the uplift of the Tharsis region, and was later widened and modified by erosion, collapse, and fluvial or lava-related processes that left the complex chasmata observed today.
Scientific Significance
Because its walls expose layered rocks and possible ancient sedimentary deposits, Valles Marineris offers valuable clues about Mars’s geological history, past water activity, and the planet’s tectonic and volcanic evolution.
Quick Related Facts
- Length: over 4,000 km
- Depth: up to about 7 km in places
- Width: typically around 200 km in many sections
- Cause: tectonic rifting of the crust, later widened by erosion and collapse