The valleys of Coprates Chasma in the east of Valles Marineris
The valleys of Coprates Chasma in the east of Valles Marineris
Valles Marineris – the ‘Mariner Valleys’ – was created three to four billion years ago across fault zones extending almost straight along the equator of Mars. They were named after NASA’s Mariner 4 orbiter that photographed the almost 4000-kilometre-long structure for the first time in 1965. The Coprates Chasma region, the ‘copper canyon’, has a depth of up to seven kilometres, surrounded by precipitous cliffs. Numerous small volcanic cones and solidified lava flows indicating geologically recent volcanic activity have now been discovered at the base of Coprates Chasma. This perspective view was created using stereo image data from DLR’s HRSC (High Resolution Stereo Camera) camera on board ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft.