Chaotic terrain in the middle of Shalbatana Vallis
Chaotic terrain in the middle of Shalbatana Vallis
This landscape of jumbled rocks – several hundred metres high and kilometres long – in the middle section of the Shalbatana Vallis outflow channel is known by the technical term 'chaotic terrain'. It is a vivid indication that high-energy water once flowed across this highland more than three billion years ago. Chaotic terrains are common in this region of Mars and, in the source areas of the neighbouring major channels, often extend across several hundred kilometres. It is likely that ice- or water-filled cavities beneath Shalbatana also drained away and later collapsed.