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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
In A Grand Canyon On Mars
Explanation: In a grand canyon on Mars , steep slopes fall away from a smooth plateau revealing striking layered rock formations. The canyon is part of the Valles Marineris , a 2,500 mile long system of canyons cutting across the Martian equator. This view, recorded on January 1 by the orbiting Mars Global Surveyor shows a small portion of Valles Marineris in amazing detail. The image is about 6 miles wide and high resolution versions show features as small as 20 feet across. What processes caused the layering? In the Grand Canyon on planet Earth , sedimentary processes have resulted in spectacular rock layers. But similar layers of rock in canyons of the Hawaiian Islands were created by volcanoes . Regardless of the origin of layering on Mars , its extent suggests that early Mars was geologically active and complex.
| Date | February 12, 1998 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit: MOC Team, MGS, NASA |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |