The Largest Canyon in the Solar System Seen in New ESA Images

The largest canyon in the Solar System, Valles Marineris, is seen in stunning newly-released images from the ESA.

The great Martian canyon of Valles Marineris. Image credit: ESA

Ten times longer than the Grand Canyon, and three times as deep, the Valles Marineris (The Mariner Valley) cuts through the surface of Mars. This grandest canyon in the Solar System stretches 4,000 km (2,500 miles) across the Red Planet — nearly covering a quarter of the circumference of that ruddy world.

Now, images released on Christmas Day, utilizing the HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, show this mighty rift in stunning detail.

Where’s the River? There was Supposed to be a River

The rifts of the Mariner Valley, recorded by HiRISE. Image credit: NASA/JPL/UArizona

More than five million years ago, the Grand Canyon in Arizona was slowly carved out by the flow of water in the Colorado River. But, despite the presence of large quantities of water on Mars in the ancient past, it is unlikely water was the primary cause responsible for the formation of its counterpart on Mars.

However, the flow of water may have played a role in shaping the Mariner Valley…