![Part of the meandering canyon Nanedi Vallis on Mars, imaged by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft …[Credits : NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems]](http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/30/75430-004-4CEC1222.jpg)
Part of the meandering canyon Nanedi Vallis on Mars, imaged by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft on January 8, 1998. Sited on a cratered plain near the east end of Valles Marineris, the channel is one of a number of Martian valley networks that resemble drainage systems on Earth formed by flowing water. Some features, such as the small channel in the canyon floor (visible near the top of the image), suggest that it was formed by downcutting from continual fluid flow. Other features, such as the lack of a branching pattern of smaller tributaries, suggest formation by groundwater undercutting and collapse. The portion of Nanedi Vallis shown is about 20 km (12 miles) long and 2.5 km (1.6 miles) across.
Link to this article and share the full text with the readers of your Web site or blog-post.
If you think a reference to this article on "" will enhance your Web site,
blog-post, or any other web-content, then feel free to link to this article,
and your readers will gain full access to the full article, even if they do not subscribe to our service.
You may want to use the HTML code fragment provided below.
We welcome your comments. Any revisions or updates suggested for this article will be reviewed by our editorial staff. Contact us here.
Regular users of Britannica may notice that this comments feature is less robust than in the past. This is only temporary, while we make the transition to a dramatically new and richer site. The functionality of the system will be restored soon.