Valles Marineris on Mars Shows Signs of Ongoing Crustal Strain, Aviation Week Reports

New research shows that Valles Marineris, the vast canyon system on Mars, remains tectonically active, according to Aviation Week. The outlet reported the findings on Wednesday, describing evidence that the planet's crust is still straining and that faults in the region are reactivating.

Aviation Week's coverage points to a study published in Nature titled "Active crustal straining and fault reactivation at Valles Marineris." Phys.org and The Daily Galaxy also reported the findings, with The Daily Galaxy describing the canyon as a roughly 2,400-mile scar on the Martian surface that is still moving.

The work adds to the picture of Mars as a planet whose geological activity did not end in the distant past. According to the reporting, the canyon system is not merely a fossil landscape but a place where the crust continues to deform.

The Aviation Week report was written by Irene Klotz, the outlet's Senior Space Editor, who is based at Cape Canaveral. Before joining Aviation Week in 2017, Klotz spent 25 years as a wire service reporter covering human and robotic spaceflight, commercial space, astronomy, science and technology for Reuters and United Press International.

The findings rest on the Nature study, which the other outlets also covered. Details beyond the central claim of ongoing strain and fault reactivation were not included in the material available.

What to watch next: whether follow-up studies pin down the pace of movement along these faults and what it means for the region's seismic activity.