<P> The large canyon , Valles Marineris ( Latin for `` Mariner Valleys '' , also known as Agathadaemon in the old canal maps ) , has a length of 4,000 km ( 2,500 mi ) and a depth of up to 7 km ( 4.3 mi ) . The length of Valles Marineris is equivalent to the length of Europe and extends across one - fifth the circumference of Mars . By comparison , the Grand Canyon on Earth is only 446 km ( 277 mi ) long and nearly 2 km ( 1.2 mi ) deep . Valles Marineris was formed due to the swelling of the Tharsis area , which caused the crust in the area of Valles Marineris to collapse . In 2012 , it was proposed that Valles Marineris is not just a graben , but a plate boundary where 150 km ( 93 mi ) of transverse motion has occurred , making Mars a planet with possibly a two - tectonic plate arrangement . </P>
<P> The large canyon , Valles Marineris ( Latin for `` Mariner Valleys '' , also known as Agathadaemon in the old canal maps ) , has a length of 4,000 km ( 2,500 mi ) and a depth of up to 7 km ( 4.3 mi ) . The length of Valles Marineris is equivalent to the length of Europe and extends across one - fifth the circumference of Mars . By comparison , the Grand Canyon on Earth is only 446 km ( 277 mi ) long and nearly 2 km ( 1.2 mi ) deep . Valles Marineris was formed due to the swelling of the Tharsis area , which caused the crust in the area of Valles Marineris to collapse . In 2012 , it was proposed that Valles Marineris is not just a graben , but a plate boundary where 150 km ( 93 mi ) of transverse motion has occurred , making Mars a planet with possibly a two - tectonic plate arrangement . </P>
the valles marineris system on mars is 4 000 km long the width of
the valles marineris system on mars is 4 000 km long the width of
Europe
Europe