Flash floods in Mangala Valles

Catastrophic flooding triggered by ice melting from the heat of volcanic activity is thought to be responsible for the chaotic scenery depicted in this region of the Mangala Valles channel network. The images were taken by the high-resolution stereo camera on ESA's Mars Express on 12 July just to the south of the mouth of Minio Vallis. The region is part of the Mangala Valles outflow channel system, and is situated in the southwestern portion of the Tharsis bulge, home to several volcanoes, including the Solar System's largest: Olympus Mons. The region's proximity to these volcanic giants likely played an important role in creating the channels seen in these images, which were carved by large volumes of flowing water. The source of the water is believed to be related to the formation of the Mangala Fossae, an east-west fault system spanning several hundreds of kilometres to the south of the region seen here. There, hot, molten rock could have reached the surface in an episode of increased volcanic activity during the formation of the Tharsis bulge. This activity may have triggered the melting of subsurface ice, and consequently the formation of the water-carved channels.