In A Grand Canyon On Mars
In a grand canyon on Mars , steep slopes fall away from a smooth plateau revealing striking layered rock formations. The canyon is part of the Valles Marineris , a 2,500 mile long system of canyons cutting across the Martian equator. This view, recorded on January 1 by the orbiting Mars Global Surveyor shows a small portion of Valles Marineris in amazing detail. The image is about 6 miles wide and high resolution versions show features as small as 20 feet across. What processes caused the layering? In the Grand Canyon on planet Earth , sedimentary processes have resulted in spectacular rock layers. But similar layers of rock in canyons of the Hawaiian Islands were created by volcanoes . Regardless of the origin of layering on Mars , its extent suggests that early Mars was geologically active and complex.