Mars Has An Enormous Canyon On Its Surface Too

In addition to having the tallest mountain in the Solar System, Mars is also home to a vast canyon known as Valles Marineris (or "Mariner Valley" in Latin). The canyon, or rather canyon system, is a breathtaking sight to see and stretches along the equator of the globe.

It has a length of about 2,610 miles (4,200 km) and is about 4.4 miles (7 km) deep in some spots. That would almost cover the entire continental United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean since it is that large. The Grand Canyon in Arizona is approximately 446 km (277 mi) long and 1.8 km (1.1 mi) deep, giving you an idea of its size.

The massive plate boundary known as the Valles Marineris actually moves so slowly over millions of years that little happens. Plate tectonics on Mars is quite primitive, and the division of the surface by the two plates moving past one another started about 3.5 billion years ago.

Enormous canyon of Mars: Valles Marineris