Red Planet's Geology: ESA's Mars Express Snaps Water-Carved Valleys, Deep Fractures [LOOK]

Mars showcases fascinating and distinct geology everywhere. This is especially true in this photo taken by ESA's Mars Express.

Mars Geology

As per SciTechDaily, the scene was snapped by the Mars Express orbiter's HRSC (High Resolution Stereo Camera). It shows the flanks of Thaumasia Planum, a vast volcanic plateau. The tallest characteristics that can be observed in the image are 4,500 meters taller compared to the lowest ones. This is clearly seen in the related topographical map of the area.

Many were thought to have minimally changed since their formation, which took place almost four billion years ago. This, in turn, offers an exciting preview of the red planet's earlier days.

Tectonics

Phys reports that this intricate region may have been shaped by tectonics and running water in the past.

Though the red planet does not exhibit any signs of active tectonics, this was not always the case. The red planet's crust, specifically in this region, had once gone through grave stresses. This led to deep fractures that are called Nectaris Fossae. These are near-vertical scars that are clear and that have been filled with light-colored dust.

These fractures are assumed to have formed in relation to the canyon system of the Valles Marineris, which is the biggest system across the solar system. Valles Marineris is situated at this region's northright.

Running Water

After tectonics did their work, water ran through the surface. ESA notes that the flowing water cut the rocks and carved out deep valleys. Some of these channels are superficial while others are broad and deep.

Protva Valles, which refers to multiple channels, resulted when abundant water covered the Martian surface around 3.8 billion years ago. Since then, it has stayed remarkably unchanged.

Thaumasia Planum

The Thaumasia Planum, on the other hand, came to be during Mars' earliest days. It largely comprises great lava flows that have a thickness of several kilometers.

Such a period was quite turbulent. Many of the distinct features of the red planet started forming during this time.

The Tharsis volcanoes, which are among the largest across the entire solar system, are situated close to the Thaumasia Planum. The volcanic stress and load may have prompted the area to start fracturing, before lava flooded the region.

As the flows of lava cooled down and became solid on the shifting and unstable ground, they ended up being compressed. This resulted in wrinkle ridges.

Following the great lava resurfacing, Thaumasia Planum was also blanketed with volcanic dust and ash. This was before flows of water cut through the lava and formed the Protva Valleys.

While the roots of such water flows still remain a mystery, they appeared to show up at varying heights. This implies that the water could have seeped through subsurface Martian layers.

Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.