New Mars photos explore the solar system's largest canyon

INA – SOURCES
 
New images of Mars explore the depths of the Red Planet's Valles Marineris canyon, the largest canyon system in the solar system.
 
The European Space Agency's (ESA) images, which were taken using the spacecraft's High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), also capture incredible detail on the canyon floor.
 
Unlike the Grand Canyon, which was carved by the Colorado River, Valles Marineris is believed to have formed from tectonic plates drifting apart. This violent movement at the Martian surface created a jagged canyon floor, as seen in the new images.
 
"The gnarly floor of Ius Chasma is equally fascinating," ESA officials wrote in the statement accompanying the new images. "As tectonic plates pulled apart, they appear to have caused jagged triangles of rock to form that look like a row of shark teeth. Over time, these rock formations have collapsed and eroded."
 
ESA's Mars Express spacecraft, which has been orbiting the Red Planet since 2003, zoomed in on two trenches that form part of western Valles Marineris: Ius Chasma and Tithonium Chasma. The images not only capture incredible surface detail, but also highlight the impressive size of the trenches.
 
Valles Marineris stretches 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) long, 124 miles (200 km) wide, and 4.3 miles (7 km) deep — nearly ten times longer, 20 times wider and five times deeper than the Grand Canyon, according to ESA's statement.