Topographical overview map of the Arabia Terra region of Mars, featuring the Mamers Valles
Topographical overview map of the Arabia Terra region of Mars, featuring the Mamers Valles
The trench-like channels of the Mamers Valles drainage system extend in a south-north direction over roughly 1000 kilometres, from the ancient highlands of Arabia Terra to the lower plains near Deuteronilus Mensae. In its middle sections, the valley is approximately 25 kilometres wide and up to 1.2 kilometres deep. The mouth region of the valley is known as 'fretted terrain': a fractured landscape featuring numerous deep and very wide, labyrinthine valleys, flat-topped mesas, steep cliffs and glacier-like deposits. The region formed approximately 3.8 billion years ago, when our neighbouring planet transitioned from a wetter, geologically more active world into a colder one.
Credit:
NASA/JPL (MOLA)/FU Berlin