With a length of about 1,580 kilometres, a width of up to 480 kilometres, and (at certain locations) a depth of two to three kilometres, Kasei Valles is one of the largest outflow channels on Mars. In comparison, the famous Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA (446 kilometres long, up to 29 kilometres wide, and up to1.9 kilometres deep) seems tiny!
Following the general way in which Martian outflow channels are named, Kasei Valles is also named after the Red Planet Kasei means “Mars” in Japanese, and Valles means “valley” in Latin. It is located on the north of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon system on Mars. It starts from a chasma (a deep, steep-sided depression) called Echus Chasma, runs northwards for a while before bending east and ending at Chryse Planitia, a circular smooth plain lying to the east of the Tharsis bulge. Scientists say intense volcanic activity in the Tharsis region around three billion years ago ripped up Echus Chasma, releasing groundwater, and causing outburst floods that created Kasei Valles.
If you look at the images of Kasei Valles, you can see that it splits into two channels that rejoin before reaching Chryse Planitia. The landmass between them is called Sacra Mensa. Kasei Valles also has a 100-kilometre wide impact crater, called Sharonov, and huge dry waterfalls that are 400 to 500 metres high!
Picture Credit : Google
