Mars’s Giant Canyon Still Tectonically Active, New Research Shows

Mars’s Giant Canyon Still Tectonically Active, New Research Shows | Aviation Week

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Irene Klotz
October 21, 2026

Mars

Credit: NASA

Data collected by NASA’s now-defunct Mars InSight lander shows that the largest canyon system in the Solar System remains tectonically active. New research shows that a “marsquake” began 12-15 mi. beneath Valles Marineris due to rocks slipping along a deep fault, scientists with Imperial College…

Irene Klotz

Irene Klotz is Senior Space Editor for Aviation Week, based in Cape Canaveral. Before joining Aviation Week in 2017, Irene spent 25 years as a wire service reporter covering human and robotic spaceflight, commercial space, astronomy, science and technology for Reuters and United Press International.

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