This animation shows a fly-over of the central region of the vast canyon system Valles Marineris, a significant geological structure on Mars.

Video: "Flight over Valles Marineris" from 2010 [2:31 min]
Copyright: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)

The name Valles Marineris is derived from Latin meaning 'Mariner Valleys'. The Valles Marineris is a trench-fault system, which was probably formed by tectonic forces. It is comparable to the Grand Canyon on Earth. However, it is much larger with a length of over 4000 km, a width of up to 200 km, and a depth of up to 7 km.

The movie is based on a digital terrain model (DTM) of the region. The principles of DTM generations are described here. A perspective of Valles Marineris can be downloaded here.

Link to release in press archive: Valles Marineris Animation (Jul 15, 2011) (with option to download the full resolution video)