What is the name of the massive canyon system on Mars that stretches over 2,500 miles — roughly the width of the continental United States?
Valles Marineris
The answer was Valles Marineris. Here's the why, the decoys, and the source trail.
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Valles Marineris is a vast canyon system on Mars that extends about 2,500 miles long, up to 125 miles wide, and nearly 4 miles deep in places. It dwarfs Earth's Grand Canyon, which is only about 277 miles long and just over a mile deep.
This answer is checked against NASA Science — Mars and Wikipedia — Valles Marineris.
A good trivia question makes the wrong answers feel close. Here is the clean read on the set.
- Hellas Basin - a decoy; it may live near the same topic, but it does not answer this exact clue.
- Valles Marineris - correct answer.
- Olympus Mons caldera - a decoy; it may live near the same topic, but it does not answer this exact clue.
- Gale Crater - a decoy; it may live near the same topic, but it does not answer this exact clue.
Valles Marineris is the one to remember. Valles Marineris is a vast canyon system on Mars that extends about 2,500 miles long, up to 125 miles wide, and nearly 4 miles deep in places. Scientists believe Valles Marineris formed billions of years ago as the Tharsis volcanic region swelled and cracked the Martian crust apart, rather than being carved by water like Earth's canyons.
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Sources: NASA, Wikipedia — Valles Marineris