Noctis Labyrinthus- Exploring the Red Planet's Extraordinary Landscape

Sunday - October 15 2023, 23:10 UTC - 1 year ago

The European Space Agency (ESA)'s Mars Express spacecraft has captured a stunning visualization of one of the most striking areas on the red planet known as Noctis Labyrinthus. It is an area characterized by a complex network of deep, steep-walled canyons and valleys that stretches for around 1,190 kilometers. Research suggests that the region had a history of flowing lava and water lakes until very recent geological ages. The visualization of this area was created by combining thousands of images taken by the spacecraft's High-Resolution Stereo Camera. It is formed by tectonic and volcanic forces and is also a fracture zone situated at the center of the Tharsis Rise.

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express spacecraft has captured a stunning visualization of one of the most striking areas on the red planet known as Noctis Labyrinthus, which translates as "Labyrinth of Night." This incredible animation was created by combining thousands of images of the region obtained by its cameras. The area is marked by a complex network of deep, steep-walled canyons and valleys formed by the planet's tectonic and volcanic activities. It stretches for around 1,190 kilometers, which is nearly the length of Italy. This area piques the interest of planetary scientists and geologists because it provides vital insights into the geological history and processes that have shaped the Martian surface. Furthermore, research suggests that Noctis Labyrinthus had a history of flowing lava and water lakes until very recent geological ages.

The geological history .

Noctis Labyrinthus is located between two significant geological features: Valles Marineris, often referred to as the "Grand Canyon" of Mars due to its immense size, and the Tharsis region, home to some of the solar system's tallest volcanoes. The complex network of valleys and canyons in Noctis Labyrinthus didn't develop suddenly but is a result of a long-term geological process. Noctis Labyrinthus is a fracture zone situated at the center of the Tharsis Rise. Noctis Labyrinthus' valleys arose as a result of considerable volcanic activity in the Tharsis area. This resulted in the formation of a bulge or raised region on the Martian surface due to volcanic activity. This arching or elevation caused tectonic stresses in the surrounding areas, implying that Mars' crust experienced substantial strain and tension. Due to this tectonic stress, the region's outer surface started to thin and develop faults, like grabens. Some of the grabens in this region reach depths of up to 5,000 meters, demonstrating the strong tectonic forces that were active in Mars' past geological history.

"It presents a perspective view down and across this fascinating landscape, showing distinctive ‘graben’ – parts of the crust that have subsided in relation to their surroundings," mentioned an ESA release. Some of the area's highest plateaus indicate the original surface level before sections of it were worn away. The crossing canyons and valleys have widths of up to 30 kilometers and depths of up to six kilometers.

"In many places, gigantic landslides can be seen covering the valley slopes and floors, while other valley slopes show large dune fields created by sands blown both down and upslope by Martian winds," described ESA.

The creation of 3D landscape .

This stunning flight-over video shows the eastern portion of Noctis Labyrinthus as obtained by the spacecraft's High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC). The video was created by combining images captured by the spacecraft from both 2006 and 2015. In addition, topological data from a digital terrain model helped the mission to create this three-dimensional landscape. Each second of video is made up of 50 individual frames that are displayed along a "predete .