The bird’s-eye view captured by the Mars Express spacecraft reveals a region of more than 205,000 square miles surrounding Mawrth Vallis, where ancient water once carved the shapes of the surface.
This is one of the largest valleys on Mars, and scientists say it may have been habitable up to 3.6 billion years ago.
Its name comes from the Welsh words for Mars, and the Latin word for valley.
And, long ago, ‘huge amounts’ of water passed through the area, beginning at a higher elevation region and spilling into the northern plains.
These features can be seen at the lower right and top left of the image, respectively.
The valley sits on the border between the southern highlands and the northern lowlands, according to the Esa, and is home to phyllosilicates.