Oxia Palus Quadrangle - Vallis

Vallis (plural valles) is the Latin word for valley. It is used in planetary geology for the naming of landform features on other planets.

Vallis was used for old river valleys that were discovered on Mars, when probes were first sent to Mars. The Viking Orbiters caused a revolution in our ideas about water on Mars; huge river valleys were found in many areas. Spacecraft cameras showed that floods of water broke through dams, carved deep valleys, eroded grooves into bedrock, and traveled thousands of kilometers.

• Shalbatana Vallis, as seen by HiRISE. The scale bar is 500 meters long.

• Shalbatana Vallis Floor, as seen by HiRISE. Scale bar is 1000 meters long.

• Close-up of Simud Valles, as seen by HiRISE.

• Ares Vallis, as seen by Viking. The channel is 25 km wide and about 1 km deep.

• Channels in Ares Vallis Region, as seen by HiRISE.

• Ares Valles, as seen by HiRISE

• Tiu Valles Ridges, as seen by HiRISE. Ridges were probably formed by running water. Scale bar is 1 km long.

• Teardrop-shaped islands caused by flood waters from Maja Valles, as seen by Viking Orbiter. Image is located in Oxia Palus quadrangle. The islands are formed in the ejecta of Lod Crater, Bok Crater, and Gold Crater.