Valles Marineris
Valles Marineris is a canyon system about 4,000 km long and up to 7 km deep, one of the largest in the Solar System. Explore it in 3D at real scale.
- Location
- along the equator, east of the Tharsis volcanoes
- Length
- about 4,000 km
- Depth
- up to about 7 km
- Name
- after Mariner 9, the orbiter that discovered it in 1971–72
Valles Marineris is a system of canyons that runs along the Martian equator for about 4,000 km, roughly the width of the United States. In places it is up to 7 km deep and 200 km wide. Next to it, the Grand Canyon in Arizona would be a side gully.
It was not carved mainly by a river. The crust split apart as the huge Tharsis volcanic region bulged up nearby, and the cracks were later widened by landslides, erosion and possibly water. Layered deposits inside some of the canyons suggest that lakes may once have filled parts of it.
What to look for
- Noctis Labyrinthus. A maze of intersecting canyons at the western end.
- Candor and Melas Chasma. Wide central sections with thick layered deposits.
- Giant landslides. Fan-shaped debris spreading from the canyon walls.
Visiting Valles Marineris in Trawers
No lander has ever gone into Valles Marineris, so you are on your own. Fly along it with the shuttle or land on the rim and look down. Driving its full length would take months even at the game rover's speed.