A Canyon Within a Canyon

This photograph of the Mars Juventae Chasma canyon shows the different color variations in layered deposits of opaline silica and iron sulfates. The canyon is part of the large Valles Marineris rift which runs nearly 1/4 the way around the planet. The rift, so far the longest known in the solar system, is over 4,000 km long, 200 km wide and up to 7 km deep. By comparison, the Grand Canyon is 446 km long, 29 km wide and 1.83 km deep.


Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona