Candor Chasma is one of the largest
canyons in the
Valles Marineris
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 long, wide and ...
canyon system on
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
. The feature is geographically divided into two halves: East and West Candor Chasmas, respectively. It is unclear how the canyon originally formed; one theory is that it was expanded and deepened by tectonic processes similar to a
graben, while another suggests that it was formed by subsurface water erosion similar to a
karst.
MRO discovered sulfates, hydrated sulfates, and iron oxides in Candor Chasma.
One of the pictures below shows branched channels. Many places on Mars show channels of different sizes. Many of these channels probably carried water, at least for a time. The climate of Mars may have been such in the past that water ran on its surface. It has been known for some time that Mars undergoes many large changes in its tilt or obliquity because its two small moons lack the gravity to stabilize it, as the Moon stabilizes Earth; at times the tilt of Mars has even been greater than 80 degrees
[Laskar, J., A. Correia, M. Gastineau, F. Joutel, B. Levrard, and P. Robutel. 2004. "Long term evolution and chaotic diffusion of the insolation quantities of Mars". ''Icarus'' 170, 343-364.]
Gallery
Image:Candor Chasma region of Valles Marineris, Mars.jpg, Tectonic fractures in Candor Chasma as seen by HiRISE
High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is a camera on board the '' Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter'' which has been orbiting and studying Mars since 2006. The 65 kg (143 lb), US$40 million instrument was built under the direction ...
Image:Candor Channels.jpg, Channels in Candor plateau, as seen by HiRISE. Location is Coprates quadrangle. Click on image to see many small, branched channels which are strong evidence for sustained precipitation.
See also
*
Chasma
References
External links
HiRISE observation of tectonic fractures
at an altitude of 100 meters by Adrian Lark and Mars3D.com; se
album
for more
*High resolutio
flyover video
by Seán Doran of layered terrain in southwest Candor Chasma, an
morevideos
of Ceti Mensa, based on NASA digital terrain models; se
album
for more
Flyover video
of Ceti Mensa and west Candor Chasma by Carter Emmart; se
album
for more
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Valleys and canyons on Mars
Coprates quadrangle
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