Colour plan view of Hydraotes Chaos
Colour plan view of Hydraotes Chaos
This colour plan view of Hydraotes Chaos clearly shows the slightly more that 2000-metre-deep valley where many mesas and buttes are arranged in a seemingly chaotic way; these are the result of an intense erosion process. No comparable landforms are found on Earth. It is believed that water in the form of ice was stored in cavities beneath the surface of the highlands early in the history of Mars; this was then heated and thawed. It was placed under so much pressure that it escaped to the surface with great force through fissures and fault zones, causing the overburden to collapse in large slabs. As it flowed out, the water eroded the terrain and left behind the striking landscape visible today. North is to the right in the image.