Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Geologic map of the Coprates Quadrangle of Mars

January 9, 2023

The Coprates quadrangle lies to the east of the Tharsis volcanic complex and the Noctis Labyrinthus tectonic complex. To the north are the plains of Lunae Planum, to the east the vast patches of chaotic terrain and the large sinuous channels that trend northward into Chryse Planitia. On the southwest is the Thaumasia Fossae region of tectonically deformed cratered terrain, to the southeast, the Argyre Basin, the best preserved of the ancient martian impact basins. The geology of the Corpates quadrangle is dominated by the Valles Marineris chasma system, which stretches in an east-southeast direction for about 2,500 km across the quadrangle. Its maximum width is about 600 km from the north rim of Ophir Chasma to the south rim of Melas Chasma. The terminus of Valles Marineris at the eastern edge of the map is about 500 km wide in the north-south direction. Individual segments of the chasma system are 100 to 150 km wide and 2 to 4 km deep.

Publication Year 2023
Title Geologic map of the Coprates Quadrangle of Mars
DOI 10.5066/P974X5XT
Authors J.F. McCauley
Product Type Data Release
Record Source USGS Asset Identifier Service (AIS)
USGS Organization Astrogeology Science Center
Rights This work is marked with CC0 1.0 Universal
Was this page helpful?