Hebes Chasma

Hebes Chasma is an elongated canyon in the Valles Marineris system. Inside this geologic formation is a raised plateau which is made up of layered rock formations. The canyon floor is assumed to be composed of rock deposits from the Amazonian period.

These rock formations are believed to lie on top of a bedrock from the Hesperian period. The underlying bedrock is presumed to be the original bedrock of the bottom of this valley. This site is considered as a possibility for future missions to Mars, because of its presence in the Valles Marineris system and its lack of outflow channels.

The fact that this site is a closed canyon and the formation of the valley system its in make it ideal for exobiological analysis of the soil. Valles Marineris was formed from a series of episodes: crustal faulting, wind erosion, water, and landslides. This complex sequence of episodes leading to the formation of the system is the major reason for the biological interest in Hebes Chasma. During the water period of Valles Marineris, this substance is believed to have been trapped in Hebes Chasma and other similar sites, while the rest drained to the lower eastern ground. A closed canyon filled with water makes an environment that leads to sedimentation and the set up of certain chemical factors for the spontaneous, complex chemical evolution. Scientists hope that this process happened at the site in question and that the sediment layered walls contain preserved organic material and even fossils.

The only problem with the exploration of the site is its degree of difficulty, because the landing site is at the canyon floor. Besides this difficulty, Hebes Chasma presents no other great technical impediment and holds an important promise of preserved organic material in its sedimented walls.