Fractured, 'chaotic' highlands in the Shalbatana Vallis channel
Fractured, 'chaotic' highlands in the Shalbatana Vallis channel
In the early history of Mars, vast quantities of water flowed across the planet. Numerous winding valleys provide evidence of a water cycle similar to that on Earth. However, large, trench-like channels suggest relatively short-lived outflow events, during which enormous volumes of water flowed rapidly and with great energy from the southern Martian highlands into the northern lowlands. Shalbatana Vallis is one such outflow channel, within which the characteristic 'chaotic terrains' also formed. It is thought that ice stored in the subsurface melted and drained away, causing the remaining cavities to collapse. The image spans approximately 30 kilometres.