To get more clues as to the structure’s origins, researchers used this impressive power to zoom in on regions of the canyon like Tithonium Chasma, pictured above. They noted light and dark diagonal slashes on the surface of the feature’s slope, which they think could point to ancient cycles of freezing and thawing on the Red Planet. It’s tiny details like these that will help us understand how Valles Marineris came to be, as well as the planet’s climate history as a whole. Doing so will hopefully clarify if there was ever a whisper of life on Mars—and where.
