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The Grand Canyon of Mars

The Grand Canyon of Mars

Credit & copyright: NASA,Viking Project,USGS

The Mariner Valley, also known as the Valles Marineris canyon system, appears in this mosaic of images from NASA's Viking spacecraft as a huge gouge across the red planet. This “Grand Canyon” of Mars is about 2500 miles long and up to 4 miles deep. By comparison, the Earth's Grand Canyon is less than 500 miles long and 1 mile deep. For more information about Mars see Calvin J. Hamilton's Mars Page. The exploration of Mars is chronicled by the Center For Mars Exploration. The exploration of Mars is chronicled by the Center For Mars Exploration.

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