Icaria Fossae

The linear features in this VIS image are tectonic graben called Icaria Fossae and are located in Terra Sirenum. Graben are formed by extension of the crust and faulting. When large amounts of pressure or tension are applied to rocks on timescales that are fast enough that the rock cannot respond by deforming, the rock breaks along faults. In the case of a graben, two parallel faults are formed by extension of the crust and the rock in between the faults drops downward into the space created by the extension. The Icaria Fossae graben are 2115km (1314 miles) long.