The high-resolution photography system aboard the Mars Express orbiter returned stunning images of the “snaking” fissures at the foot of Mount Arcia, one of the Red Planet’s giant volcanoes.
The European Space Agency (ESA) calculates that Mars’ deep, uneven scar is about 373 miles (600 kilometers) long, about one-third the length of the Grand Canyon. Humans first recorded this feature in 1930 and officially named it Aganippe Fossa 46 years later.
The German Aerospace Center, which developed the stereo camera aboard the 21-year-old Mars Express spacecraft, said: “The structure, named after the Greek goddess of spring, baffles even today’s experts.” The agency added , “Some theories suggest that the trench was tectonic in origin, while others claim that volcanic dikes were formed during later stages of activity,” creating scar-like depressions in the rock and gently sloping terrain.
For its part, the European Space Agency said Aganipe Nest likely developed “magma rising beneath a huge massif”. [nearby] The Tharsis volcano caused tensile rupture of the Martian crust.
According to the European Space Agency, in addition to the base of Arsia Mons, which is about 2 kilometers higher than Earth’s tallest volcano, the Aganippe Fossa fissure cuts through a huge marble-like patterns, which are composed of dust and sand blown by Martian winds.
The agency captured this feature in stereoscopic fashion, meaning that if you happen to have red-blue or red-green glasses, you can view it (and its neighboring volcanoes) in 3D.
