Marte Vallis

Marte Vallis based onTHEMIS day-time image
Coordinates	15°00′N176°30′W / 15°N 176.5°W /15; -176.5

Marte Vallis is a valley in theAmazonis quadrangle of Mars, located at 15 North and 176.5 West. It is 185 km long and was named for the Spanish word for "Mars".^[2] It has been identified as anoutflow channel, carved in the geological past by catastrophic release of water fromaquifers beneath the Martian surface.^[3] The surface material is thought to have been created out of'a'ā andpāhoehoe lava flows from theElysium volcanic province in the west.^[4]

Marte Vallis is the site of the first discovery ofcolumnar jointing on Mars.^[1] Columnar jointing often forms when basalt lava cools.^[5]

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  Streamlined Island inMarte Vallis, as seen byHiRISE. The enlarged image gives a good view ofdark slope streaks. Island is just to the west ofPettit Crater. Scale bar is 500 meters long.
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  Layers in old crater rim, in Marte Vallis as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program
• 
  Close view of layers from previous image, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Somedark slope streaks are visible.
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  Columinar Jointing inYellowstone National Park.
• 
  Columnar jointing in the basalt of theGiant's Causeway inNorthern Ireland

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