List of largest rifts, canyons and valleys in the Solar System

Following are the longest, widest, and deepest rifts and valleys in various worlds of the Solar System.

List
World Rift/Valley Length Max. width Max. depth Notes
Venus Baltis Vallis 6,800 km (4,200 mi) 3 km (2 mi) A lava channel
Earth Atlantic Ocean ≈10,000 km (6,000 mi) ≈6,000 km (4,000 mi) 7.758 km (4.821 mi) Length taken to be that of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. (The ridge also has a secondary rift valley running its length.) The width is an average taken along the spreading ridges (Georgia–Senegal, Brazil – Bight of Benin, etc.). The greatest depth is the Romanche Trench. (The Puerto Rico Trench is not part of the rift system.)
Great Rift Valley 6,000 km (3,700 mi) 220 km (140 mi) 2 km (1 mi) Width and depth are those of the Red Sea Rift, discounting continental shelves < 200 m deep. (These may not be the extremes of the whole rift system.) Length of the Red Sea section 2,250 km (1,400 mi).
Canadian Arctic Rift System 4,800 km (3,000 mi) A northwesterly continuation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
West Antarctic Rift System
Midcontinent Rift System 2,000 km (1,200 mi) 70 km (40 mi) 0.27 km (0.17 mi) Width & depth Isle Royale – Keweenaw Peninsula; may not be widest point.
Grand Canyon 277 km (200 mi) 4–18 km (0–10 mi) 1.857 km (1 mi)
Colca Canyon 4.160 km (2.58 mi)
Cotahuasi Canyon 3.535 km (2.197 mi)
Moon Vallis Snellius 592 km (368 mi) ≈ 30 km (20 mi)? Width assumed to be approx. that of Vallis Rheita
Mars Valles Marineris 3,769 km (2,342 mi) 200 km (100 mi) 7 km (4 mi)
Kasei Valles 1,780 km (1,110 mi) 200 km (100 mi) 2–3 km
Tiu Valles 1,720 km (1,070 mi)
Ares Vallis 1,700 km (1,100 mi)
Vesta equatorial channels Possibly up to 1,700 km (1,100 mi) Length may be as much as the 1790-km circumference of Vesta
Divalia Fossa approx. 465 km (290 mi) ≈ 22 km Compression fracture from Rheasilvia
Saturnalia Fossa at least 365 km (230 mi) ≈ 39 km 365 km visible at one point; rest in northern shadow.
Compression fracture from Veneneia.
Europa ? ? More than 20 km (10 mi) Moon of Jupiter
Tethys Ithaca Chasma 2,000 km (1,000 mi) 100 km (60 mi) 3–5 km (2–3 mi) Moon of Saturn. Ithaca span approx. 75% the circumference of the Moon.
Charon Argo Chasma 700 km (430 mi) ? 9 km (6 mi) Moon of Pluto. Part of a belt of grabens that span most of the circumference of the moon. Only a section was seen on limb of Charon and so exact length uncertain. Not yet officially named.[1]
Caleuche Chasma 400 km (250 mi) ? 13 km (8.1 mi) Depth estimated in the range 10–16 km (6.2–9.9 mi).[2]
Miranda tectonic grabens 20 km 10-20 km Extensive series of grabens and scarps that cover most of the moon.
Titania Messina Chasma 1492 km (900 mi) 50 km (30 mi) 2-5 km Geologically young belt of grabens that cut through craters. Bright, icy material exposed on canyon walls.
Pluto Sleipnir Fossa 580 km (360 mi) 5-10 km ≈3 km (2 mi) One of the six extensional "spider" fractures, cuts through Tartarus Dorsa . Not yet officially named.
Lowell Regio canyons ≈200 km (120 mi) 75 km (45 mi) ≈3-4 km A series of canyons found very close to the north pole. Not yet officially named.

See also

References
  1. Keeter, Bill (2016-06-23). "A 'Super Grand Canyon' on Pluto's Moon Charon". NASA. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  2. Schenk, Paul Michael; Beyer, Ross A.; McKinnon, William B.; Moore, Jeffrey M.; Spencer, John R.; White, Oliver L.; Singer, Kelsi; Umurhan, Orkan M.; Nimmo, Francis; Lauer, Tod R.; Grundy, William M.; Robbins, Stuart; Stern, S. Alan; Weaver, Harold A.; Young, Leslie A.; Smith, K. Ennico; Olkin, Cathy (2018). "Breaking up is hard to do: Global cartography and topography of Pluto's mid-sized icy Moon Charon from New Horizons". Icarus. 315: 124–145. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2018.06.010. ISSN 0019-1035.
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