Marniner Valley

Valles Marineris Latin for Mariner Valleys, named after the Mariner 9 Mars orbiter of 1971–72 which discovered it) is a system of canyons that runs along the Martian surface east of the Tharsis region. At more than 4,000 km (2,500 mi) long, 200 km (120 mi) wide and up to 7 km (23,000 ft) deep, Valles Marineris is one of the largest canyons of the Solar System, surpassed in length only by the rift valleys of the mid-ocean ridge system of Earth.
The most agreed upon theory today is that Valles Marineris was formed by rift faults, later enlarged by erosion and collapsing of the rift walls, similar to how the East African Rift was formed. The formation of Valles Marineris is thought to be closely tied with the formation of the Tharsis Bulge. The Tharsis Bulge was formed from the Noachian to Late Hesperian period of Mars, in three stages.

Type

Canyon

Location under

Mars

Included Locations

• Mariner Valley Shipyards

Owning Organization

Martian Congressional Republic