27 March 2011 - Valles Marineris: The Grand Canyon of Mars
Mars' main valley, the largest in the solar system, extends for 3000 km and is up to 600 km wide and 8 km deep. It's hard to believe it is almost a quarter of the planet's circumference! Valles Marineris is a large tectonic crack that occurred when the Martian crust was rising in the west. Over time, it was widened by erosion. Some channels have formation characteristics indicative of water or carbon dioxide. There is another theory that it was formed by subsurface magma. Regardless, it is clear that Valles Marineris is a gold mine for potential research on martian geology.
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