This image in Ius Chasma, a portion of the massive canyon system Vallis Marineris, draws our attention because a fault previously imaged by the Mars Orbiter Camera.

A valley also cuts across the ridge. Is this the result of some tectonic process? A study in 2012 suggested that Mars possesses tectonic plates, but if so, how these processes work is still an area of study.

This caption is based on the original science rationale.

Written by: HiRISE Science Team (audio by Tre Gibbs)   (27 February 2013)

This is a stereo pair with ESP_017939_1720 .

More info and image formats at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_025231_1720

Image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona