A a bird's-eye view of part of Shalbatana Vallis, a large channel near the Red Planet's equator, as seen by the Mars Express orbiter. (Image credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin)

Stunning new images from Europe's Mars Express orbiter reveal a rugged Martian landscape carved by catastrophic floods that once tore across the Red Planet billions of years ago.

The dramatic new view, released by the European Space Agency (ESA) on May 13, spotlights Shalbatana Vallis, a sprawling Martian channel system near the planet's equator that stretches roughly 800 miles (1,300 kilometers, or about the length of Italy.…