Nectaris Fossae and Protva Valles
Nectaris Fossae and Protva Valles
This image shows the eastern flank of the Coprates Ridge in the Thaumasia region, an extensive volcanic plateau several thousand metres thick. The plain in the left third of the picture is approximately 2500 metres lower than the areas in the right third of the picture. The rugged mountains on the right edge of the picture are an additional 2000 metres higher. North is to the right of the image. Straight grabens, the Nectaris Fossae, indicate tectonic extensional structures, while the broad, winding and often already heavily eroded valley courses of the Protva Valles testify to the former presence of flowing water. Presumably, the landscape has changed little over three and a half billion years. The region shown is approximately 330 by 100 kilometres and covers an area as large as the German state of Baden-Württemberg.
