The vast Valles Marineris valley has been revealed in stunning new images taken by the European Space Agency’s Mars Express.
The Valley of the Red Planet is 2,485 miles long, over 124 miles wide and over 4 miles deep, making America look pretty pale in comparison. Vallis Marineris extends from the northern tip of Norway to the southern tip of Sicily.
The new image depicts two moats or chasms that form part of the western Valles Marineris. On the left is the lus Chasma, which is 521 miles long, and on the right is the Tithonium Chasma, which is 500 miles long.
The image uses data from the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board Mars Express and is a “true color” image, meaning what the human eye would see if looking at this region of Mars.
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An oblique perspective image of Tithonium Chasma (pictured above), which is part of the valley structure of Mars Valles Marineris, was created from the digital terrain model, analog and color channels of the high-resolution stereo camera on board the European Space Agency’s Mars Express. .
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A vast valley on the Red Planet has been revealed in new images released by the European Space Agency. The new image depicts two moats or chasms that form part of the western Valles Marineris. On the left is the Lus Chasma, which is 521 miles long, and on the right is the Tithonium Chasma, which is 500 miles long
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The canyon on the Red Planet is 2,485 miles long, over 124 miles wide and over 4 miles deep, making America’s Grand Canyon look puny in comparison.
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This image of Tethonium Chasma shows parallel lines and debris piles (top right), suggesting a recent landslide.
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The image above shows an oblique view of the giant Valles Marineris Valley system on Mars. The canyons were formed by a combination of geological faults, landslides, wind erosion and ancient watercourses.
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In terms of height, the highest mountain in the Alps, Mont Blanc, which rises more than 15,000 feet above sea level, would be dwarfed if inside the Tithonium Chasma.
Unlike America’s Grand Canyon, which was formed about 5 million years ago when the Colorado River eroded, the Red Planet’s Grand Canyon is believed to have been formed by the erosion of tectonic plates.
A dark patch of sand at the top of Tithonium Chasma – which may have come from a nearby volcanic area – adds color contrast to the image.
Next to the dark sand dunes are two light-colored hills, one of which is split in half by the upper frame.
This image by Mars Express shows a perspective view of Mesa east of the Valles Marineris, the largest canyons in the Solar System.
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The Red Planet’s vast Valles Marineris—which spans roughly a quarter of the planet’s circumference—is visible above (center) in the Granger Group image.
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Lus and Tithonium Chasmata are shown above. The area outlined in the dark white field represents the area recorded by the Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera on April 21, 2022 while in orbit.
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