Perspective view of Chasma Boreale

This perspective view of the Mars north polar cap focuses on the ~500 km long, 100 km wide, and 2 km-deep canyon known as Chasma Boreale. The giant trough, which gives the appearance of almost cutting the ice cap in two, is thought to have been present before the iconic spiraling ice cap formed, seemingly growing deeper as new ice deposits built up around it.

The view is based on images taken by ESA’s Mars Express and generated using elevation data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) on board the NASA Mars Global Surveyor mission.