Where is the Deepest Gorge in the Solar System?
The deepest known gorge in the solar system is Valles Marineris on Mars. It is known to be the deepest gorge on any rocky planet in the solar system, as we have already mapped all four of them in detail (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) and have not found anything deeper. Valles Marineris is 4,500 km (2,800 mi) long, 200 km (125 mi) wide and as deep as 7.7 km (4.8 mi). By comparison, the Grand Canyon is 446 km (277 mi) long, ranges in width from 6.4 to 29 km) (4 to 18 mi), and attains a depth of around 1.6 km (1 mi). The deepest crevice on our planet, Earth’s wet and geologically active surface is not well-suited to the formation of extremely deep gorges. The Marianas Trench, located in the Pacific Ocean near the Philippines, is 10.9 km, 6.77 mi below sea level, but less than half as deep measured relative to the sea floor, putting it short of the depth of Valles Marineris. Though still unknown, it may be that deeper gorges exist in the solar system in currently veiled or distant locat
