The majority of the equatorial region of Vesta is sculpted by a series of parallel troughs.
The largest is named Divalia Fossa (10–20 km wide, 465 km long).
Despite the fact that Vesta is a one-seventh the size of the Moon, Divalia Fossa dwarfs the Grand Canyon.
A second series, inclined to the equator, is found further north.
The largest of the northern troughs is named Saturnalia Fossa (≈ 40 km wide, > 370 km long).
These troughs are thought to be large-scale graben resulting from the impacts that created Rheasilvia and Veneneia craters, respectively.
They are some of the longest chasms in the Solar System, nearly as long as Ithaca Chasma on Tethys.
The troughs may be graben that formed after another asteroid collided with Vesta, a process that can happen only in a body that, like Vesta, is differentiated.
Vesta's differentiation is one of the reasons why scientists consider it a protoplanet.
The majority of the equatorial region of Vesta is sculpted by a series of parallel troughs. The largest is named Divalia Fossa (10–20 km wide, 465 km long). Despite the fact that Vesta is a one-seventh the size of the Moon, Divalia Fossa dwarfs the Grand Canyon. A second series, inclined to the equator, is found further north. The largest of the northern troughs is named Saturnalia Fossa (≈ 40 km wide, > 370 km long). These troughs are thought to be large-scale graben resulting from the impacts that created Rheasilvia and Veneneia craters, respectively. They are some of the longest chasms in the Solar System, nearly as long as Ithaca Chasma on Tethys. The troughs may be graben that formed after another asteroid collided with Vesta, a process that can happen only in a body that, like Vesta, is differentiated. Vesta's differentiation is one of the reasons why scientists consider it a protoplanet.
4 Vesta