Waterfalls
may once have plunged over these cliffs in the eastern part of Echus Chasma on
Mars, as seen by Mars Express.
The
Echus Chasma region is one of the largest possible water source areas on the Red Planet.
It also connects to the large valley system of Kasei Valles, which extends 1,864
miles (3,000 km) to the north. The valley floor later ended up getting flooded
by basaltic lava.
Any
flowing water that might have existed on the surface is now long gone, but what
remains are the steep cliffs that rise up nearly 2.5 miles (4 km). The European
Mars Express created
this image from pictures taken at several different angles during an
overhead pass. German researchers then stitched together a 3D digital image.
— ESA and SPACE.com Staff
Credit: ESA/ DLR/ FU
Berlin (G. Neukum)
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