Beyond Earth · Farstep pack

Valles Marineris in 3D

Mars · on the rim of Ius Chasma

Along the equator of Mars, east of the Tharsis bulge

Valles Marineris is the largest canyon system in the solar system. On the rim of Ius Chasma the floor lies about 6 km below you, three times the depth of the Grand Canyon, and the far wall is some 20 km away. Layered deposits in the walls hint that water or ice once filled parts of these canyons; how much, and for how long, is still argued.

Where: Along the equator of Mars, east of the Tharsis bulge
Length: About 4,000 km, a fifth of the way round Mars
Depth here: About 6 km below the rim
Formed: As the crust stretched over the Tharsis bulge, then widened by landslides

Walk Valles Marineris in 3D

A real-time 3D model, shaped to published NASA and USGS elevation measurements. Loads 1.4 MB when you start.

Valles Marineris

Walk it yourself. Works on this phone.

Part of the Beyond Earth pack: a one-time unlock in this browser.

Shaped to NASA and USGS elevation measurements · a 3D reconstruction, not a photograph

What you'll find in the walk

Gold markers in the scene open these cards.

Seven kilometres down
Known
The floor of the chasm is about 6 km below this rim, three times the depth of the Grand Canyon. The far wall is about 20 km away; in the wider chasmata to the east it is 100 km off and lost in the haze.
A crack in the planet
Known
Valles Marineris runs about 4,000 km along the equator, a fifth of the way round Mars. It opened as the crust stretched over the Tharsis bulge, then widened by collapse and landslides.
Water in the walls?
Theorised
Layered deposits and sulphate minerals on the floor suggest standing water or ice once filled parts of these canyons. How much and for how long is still argued.