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Martian Crater Morphology
ANALYSIS OF THE DEPTH-DIAMETER RELATIONSHIP OF MARTIAN CRATERS A Capstone Experience Thesis Presented by Jared Howenstine Completion Date: May 2006 Approved By: Professor M. Darby Dyar, Astronomy Professor Christopher Condit, Geology Professor Judith Young, Astronomy Abstract Title: Analysis of the Depth-Diameter Relationship of Martian Craters Author: Jared Howenstine, Astronomy Approved By: Judith Young, Astronomy Approved By: M. Darby Dyar, Astronomy Approved By: Christopher Condit, Geology CE Type: Departmental Honors Project Using a gridded version of maritan topography with the computer program Gridview, this project studied the depth-diameter relationship of martian impact craters. The work encompasses 361 profiles of impacts with diameters larger than 15 kilometers and is a continuation of work that was started at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas under the guidance of Dr. Walter S. Keifer. Using the most ‘pristine,’ or deepest craters in the data a depth-diameter relationship was determined: d = 0.610D 0.327 , where d is the depth of the crater and D is the diameter of the crater, both in kilometers. This relationship can then be used to estimate the theoretical depth of any impact radius, and therefore can be used to estimate the pristine shape of the crater. With a depth-diameter ratio for a particular crater, the measured depth can then be compared to this theoretical value and an estimate of the amount of material within the crater, or fill, can then be calculated. The data includes 140 named impact craters, 3 basins, and 218 other impacts. The named data encompasses all named impact structures of greater than 100 kilometers in diameter. -
Widespread Excess Ice in Arcadia Planitia, Mars
Widespread Excess Ice in Arcadia Planitia, Mars Ali M. Bramson1, Shane Byrne1, Nathaniel E. Putzig2, Sarah Sutton1, Jeffrey J. Plaut3, T. Charles Brothers4 and John W. Holt4 Corresponding author: A. M. Bramson, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Kuiper Space Science Building, 1629 E. University Blvd. Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA. ([email protected]) Affiliations: 1Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA. 2Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado, USA. 3Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, USA. 4Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA. Accepted for publication July 18, 2015 in Geophysical Research Letters. An edited version of this paper was published by AGU on August 26, 2015. Copyright 2015 American Geophysical Union. Citation: Bramson, A. M., S. Byrne, N. E. Putzig, S. Sutton, J. J. Plaut, T. C. Brothers, and J. W. Holt (2015), Widespread excess ice in Arcadia Planitia, Mars, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, doi:10.1002/2015GL064844. Key points: • Terraced craters: abundant in Arcadia Planitia, indicate subsurface layering • A widespread subsurface interface is also detected by SHARAD • Combining data sets yields dielectric constants consistent with decameters of excess water ice Abstract: The distribution of subsurface water ice on Mars is a key constraint on past climate, while the volumetric concentration of buried ice (pore-filling versus excess) provides information about the process that led to its deposition. We investigate the subsurface of Arcadia Planitia by measuring the depth of terraces in simple impact craters and mapping a widespread subsurface reflection in radar sounding data. Assuming that the contrast in material strengths responsible for the terracing is the same dielectric interface that causes the radar reflection, we can combine these data to estimate the dielectric constant of the overlying material. -
Widespread Crater-Related Pitted Materials on Mars: Further Evidence for the Role of Target Volatiles During the Impact Process ⇑ Livio L
Icarus 220 (2012) 348–368 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Icarus journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/icarus Widespread crater-related pitted materials on Mars: Further evidence for the role of target volatiles during the impact process ⇑ Livio L. Tornabene a, , Gordon R. Osinski a, Alfred S. McEwen b, Joseph M. Boyce c, Veronica J. Bray b, Christy M. Caudill b, John A. Grant d, Christopher W. Hamilton e, Sarah Mattson b, Peter J. Mouginis-Mark c a University of Western Ontario, Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration, Earth Sciences, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7 b University of Arizona, Lunar and Planetary Lab, Tucson, AZ 85721-0092, USA c University of Hawai’i, Hawai’i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, Ma¯noa, HI 96822, USA d Smithsonian Institution, Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA e NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA article info abstract Article history: Recently acquired high-resolution images of martian impact craters provide further evidence for the Received 28 August 2011 interaction between subsurface volatiles and the impact cratering process. A densely pitted crater-related Revised 29 April 2012 unit has been identified in images of 204 craters from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. This sample of Accepted 9 May 2012 craters are nearly equally distributed between the two hemispheres, spanning from 53°Sto62°N latitude. Available online 24 May 2012 They range in diameter from 1 to 150 km, and are found at elevations between À5.5 to +5.2 km relative to the martian datum. The pits are polygonal to quasi-circular depressions that often occur in dense clus- Keywords: ters and range in size from 10 m to as large as 3 km. -
Orbital Evidence for More Widespread Carbonate- 10.1002/2015JE004972 Bearing Rocks on Mars Key Point: James J
PUBLICATIONS Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets RESEARCH ARTICLE Orbital evidence for more widespread carbonate- 10.1002/2015JE004972 bearing rocks on Mars Key Point: James J. Wray1, Scott L. Murchie2, Janice L. Bishop3, Bethany L. Ehlmann4, Ralph E. Milliken5, • Carbonates coexist with phyllosili- 1 2 6 cates in exhumed Noachian rocks in Mary Beth Wilhelm , Kimberly D. Seelos , and Matthew Chojnacki several regions of Mars 1School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 2The Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA, 3SETI Institute, Mountain View, California, USA, 4Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA, 5Department of Geological Sciences, Brown Correspondence to: University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA, 6Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA J. J. Wray, [email protected] Abstract Carbonates are key minerals for understanding ancient Martian environments because they Citation: are indicators of potentially habitable, neutral-to-alkaline water and may be an important reservoir for Wray, J. J., S. L. Murchie, J. L. Bishop, paleoatmospheric CO2. Previous remote sensing studies have identified mostly Mg-rich carbonates, both in B. L. Ehlmann, R. E. Milliken, M. B. Wilhelm, Martian dust and in a Late Noachian rock unit circumferential to the Isidis basin. Here we report evidence for older K. D. Seelos, and M. Chojnacki (2016), Orbital evidence for more widespread Fe- and/or Ca-rich carbonates exposed from the subsurface by impact craters and troughs. These carbonates carbonate-bearing rocks on Mars, are found in and around the Huygens basin northwest of Hellas, in western Noachis Terra between the Argyre – J. -
Curiosity Assesses Conditions Favorable for Life
Jet APRIL Propulsion 2013 Laboratory VOLUME 43 NUMBER 4 Curiosity assesses conditions Chemical analysis of rock shows key ingredients for development favorable for life of microbes on Mars By Mark Whalen This mosaic of images from Curiosity’s mast camera shows Mount Sharp, which rises more than 3 miles (5 kilometers) above the crater floor. It is the mission’s primary target after exploring Yellowknife Bay. Through its analysis of powder from a drilled rock, Deputy Project Scientist Joy Crisp said the near-term mentary rocks, abundant clay minerals and different JPL’s Curiosity rover has officially fulfilled its objec- emphasis will be on completing the analyses of the signatures of water alteration. “The gray interior of tive to assess whether past environmental conditions drilling of the rocks in the “John Klein” area—named in the rock we drilled into was a welcome surprise—if at Gale Crater were favorable for the development of honor of the former Mars Science Lab deputy project future rock drilling reveals similarly low oxidation microbial life on Mars. manager—and a more complete characterization of the levels, that should improve the likelihood of preserving Data returned by Curiosity’s Sample Analysis at concretions and veins in the rock. And there’s no hurry. organic compounds if any were there when the rocks Mars and Chemistry and Mineralogy instruments “We have no specific period of time scheduled for how were formed.” showed that the Yellowknife Bay area was the end long we will remain at Yellowknife Bay,” she said. “It Curiosity’s been making other surprising discoveries of an ancient river system or an intermittently wet depends on what we discover.” in addition to the primary goal of habitable environ- lakebed that could have provided chemical energy and The initial drilling has given the science and engineer- ments, noted Vasavada. -
Seasonal Melting and the Formation of Sedimentary Rocks on Mars, with Predictions for the Gale Crater Mound
Seasonal melting and the formation of sedimentary rocks on Mars, with predictions for the Gale Crater mound Edwin S. Kite a, Itay Halevy b, Melinda A. Kahre c, Michael J. Wolff d, and Michael Manga e;f aDivision of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA bCenter for Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, P.O. Box 26, Rehovot 76100, Israel cNASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California 94035, USA dSpace Science Institute, 4750 Walnut Street, Suite 205, Boulder, Colorado, USA eDepartment of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA f Center for Integrative Planetary Science, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA arXiv:1205.6226v1 [astro-ph.EP] 28 May 2012 1 Number of pages: 60 2 Number of tables: 1 3 Number of figures: 19 Preprint submitted to Icarus 20 September 2018 4 Proposed Running Head: 5 Seasonal melting and sedimentary rocks on Mars 6 Please send Editorial Correspondence to: 7 8 Edwin S. Kite 9 Caltech, MC 150-21 10 Geological and Planetary Sciences 11 1200 E California Boulevard 12 Pasadena, CA 91125, USA. 13 14 Email: [email protected] 15 Phone: (510) 717-5205 16 2 17 ABSTRACT 18 A model for the formation and distribution of sedimentary rocks on Mars 19 is proposed. The rate{limiting step is supply of liquid water from seasonal 2 20 melting of snow or ice. The model is run for a O(10 ) mbar pure CO2 atmo- 21 sphere, dusty snow, and solar luminosity reduced by 23%. -
Are We Martians? Looking for Indicators of Past Life on Mars with the Missions of the European Space Agency
CESAR Scientific Challenge Are we Martians? Looking for indicators of past life on Mars with the missions of the European Space Agency Teacher's Guide 1 Are we Martians? CESAR Scientific Challenge Table of contents: Didactics 5 Phase 0 18 Phase 1 20 Activity 1: Refresh concepts 21 Activity 2: Getting familiar with coordinates 21 Activity 2.1: Identify coordinates on an Earth map 21 Activity 2.2: The Martian zero meridian 24 Activity 2.3: Identify coordinates on a Martian map 25 Activity 2.4: A model of Mars 27 Activity 3: The origin of life 28 Activity 3.1: What is life? 28 Activity 3.2: Traces of extraterrestrial life 29 Activity 3.2.1: Read the following article 30 Activity 3.2.2: Read about Rosalind Franklin and ExoMars 2022 30 Activity 3.3: Experiment for DNA extraction 31 Activity 4: Habitable zones 31 Activity 4.1: Habitable zone of our star 31 Activity 4.2: Study the habitable zones of different stars 34 Activity 4.3: Past, present and future of water on Mars 37 Activity 4.4: Extremophiles 39 Activity 5: What do you know about Mars? 40 Activity 6: Scientific knowledge from Mars’ surface 41 Activity 6.1: Geology of Mars 41 Activity 6.2: Atmosphere of Mars 44 Activity 7: Mars exploration by European Space Agency 45 Activity 7.1: Major Milestones of the European Space Agency on Mars 50 Activity 8: Check what you have learnt so far 52 2 Are we Martians? CESAR Scientific Challenge Phase 2 53 Activity 9: Ask for a videocall with the CESAR Team if needed 54 Phase 3 56 Activity 10: Prepare the Mars landing 57 Activity 10.1: Get used to Google Mars. -
Liquid Water on Mars
Report, Planetary Sciences Unit (AST80015), Swinburne Astronomy Online Preprint typeset using LATEX style emulateapj v. 12/16/11 LIQUID WATER ON MARS M. Usatov1 Report, Planetary Sciences Unit (AST80015), Swinburne Astronomy Online ABSTRACT Geomorphological, mineralogical and other evidence of the conditions favoring the existence of water on Mars in liquid phase is reviewed. This includes signatures of past and, possibly, present aqueous environments, such as the northern ocean, lacustrine environments, sedimentary and thermokarst landforms, glacial activity and water erosion features. Reviewed also are hydrous weathering processes, observed on surface remotely and also via analysis of Martian meteorites. Chemistry of Martian water is discussed: the triple point, salts and brines, as well as undercooled liquid interfacial and solid-state greenhouse effect melted waters that may still be present on Mars. Current understanding of the evolution of Martian hydrosphere over geological timescales is presented from early period to the present time, along with the discussion of alternative interpretations and possibilities of dry and wet Mars extremes. 1. INTRODUCTION morphological and mineralogical evidence of aqueous en- The presence of water on Earth, as seen from space, vironments available in the past and, possibly, present can be implied from the observations of low-albedo fea- time is presented in x3 which will be correlated with the tures, like seas and oceans, fluvial features on its sur- current understanding of the evolution of Martian hy- face, atmospheric phenomena, polar ice caps, and the drosphere at x4. Alternative (dry) interpretations of the snow cover exhibiting seasonal variations, not to mention evidence are discussed in x5. spectroscopy. -
Meteoritics and Cosmology Among the Aboriginal Cultures of Central Australia
Journal of Cosmology, Volume 13, pp. 3743-3753 (2011) Meteoritics and Cosmology Among the Aboriginal Cultures of Central Australia Duane W. Hamacher Department of Indigenous Studies, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109, Australia [email protected] Abstract The night sky played an important role in the social structure, oral traditions, and cosmology of the Arrernte and Luritja Aboriginal cultures of Central Australia. A component of this cosmology relates to meteors, meteorites, and impact craters. This paper discusses the role of meteoritic phenomena in Arrernte and Luritja cosmology, showing not only that these groups incorporated this phenomenon in their cultural traditions, but that their oral traditions regarding the relationship between meteors, meteorites and impact structures suggests the Arrernte and Luritja understood that they are directly related. Note to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Readers This paper contains the names of, and references to, people that have passed away and references the book “Nomads of the Australian Desert” by Charles P. Mountford (1976), which was banned for sale in the Northern Territory as it contained secret information about the Pitjantjatjara. No information from the Pitjantjatjara in that book is contained in this paper. 1.0 Introduction Creation stories are the core of cosmological knowledge of cultures around the globe. To most groups of people, the origins of the land, sea, sky, flora, fauna, and people are formed by various mechanisms from deities or beings at some point in the distant past. Among the more than 400 Aboriginal language groups of Australia (Walsh, 1991) that have inhabited the continent for at least 45,000 years (O’Connell & Allen, 2004) thread strong oral traditions that describe the origins of the world, the people, and the laws and social structure on which the community is founded, commonly referred to as “The Dreaming” (Dean, 1996). -
NASA Astronauts
PUBLISHED BY Public Affairs Divisio~l Washington. D.C. 20546 1983 IColor4-by-5 inch transpar- available free to information lead and sent to: Non-informstionmedia may obtain identical material for a fee through a photographic contractor by using the order forms in the rear of this book. These photqraphs are government publications-not subject to copyright They may not be used to state oiimply the endorsement by NASA or by any NASA employee of a commercial product piocess or service, or used in any other manner that might mislead. Accordingly, it is requested that if any photograph is used in advertising and other commercial promotion. layout and copy be submitted to NASA prior to release. Front cover: "Lift-off of the Columbia-STS-2 by artist Paul Salmon 82-HC-292 82-ti-304 r 8arnr;w u vowzn u)rorr ~ nsrvnv~~nrnno................................................ .-- Seasat .......................................................................... 197 Skylab 1 Selected Pictures .......................................................150 Skylab 2 Selected Pictures ........................................................ 151 Skylab 3 Selected Pictures ........................................................152 Skylab 4 Selected Pictures ........................................................ 153 SpacoColony ...................................................................183 Space Shuttle ...................................................................171 Space Stations ..................................................................198 \libinn 1 1f.d Apoiio 17/Earth 72-HC-928 72-H-1578 Apolb B/Earth Rise 68-HC-870 68-H-1401 Voyager ;//Saturn 81-HC-520 81-H-582 Voyager I/Ssturian System 80-HC-647 80-H-866 Voyager IN~lpiterSystem 79-HC-256 79-H-356 Viking 2 on Mars 76-HC-855 76-H-870 Apollo 11 /Aldrin 69-HC-1253 69-H-682 Apollo !I /Aldrin 69-HC-684 69-H-1255 STS-I /Young and Crippen 79-HC-206 79-H-275 STS-1- ! QTPLaunch of the Columbia" 82-HC-23 82-H-22 Major Launches NAME UUNCH VEHICLE MISSIONIREMARKS 1956 VANGUARD Dec. -
Amagmatic Hydrothermal Systems on Mars from Radiogenic Heat ✉ Lujendra Ojha 1 , Suniti Karunatillake 2, Saman Karimi 3 & Jacob Buffo4
ARTICLE https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21762-8 OPEN Amagmatic hydrothermal systems on Mars from radiogenic heat ✉ Lujendra Ojha 1 , Suniti Karunatillake 2, Saman Karimi 3 & Jacob Buffo4 Long-lived hydrothermal systems are prime targets for astrobiological exploration on Mars. Unlike magmatic or impact settings, radiogenic hydrothermal systems can survive for >100 million years because of the Ga half-lives of key radioactive elements (e.g., U, Th, and K), but 1234567890():,; remain unknown on Mars. Here, we use geochemistry, gravity, topography data, and numerical models to find potential radiogenic hydrothermal systems on Mars. We show that the Eridania region, which once contained a vast inland sea, possibly exceeding the combined volume of all other Martian surface water, could have readily hosted a radiogenic hydro- thermal system. Thus, radiogenic hydrothermalism in Eridania could have sustained clement conditions for life far longer than most other habitable sites on Mars. Water radiolysis by radiogenic heat could have produced H2, a key electron donor for microbial life. Furthermore, hydrothermal circulation may help explain the region’s high crustal magnetic field and gravity anomaly. 1 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA. 2 Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA. 3 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. 4 Thayer ✉ School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA. email: [email protected] NATURE COMMUNICATIONS | (2021) 12:1754 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21762-8 | www.nature.com/naturecommunications 1 ARTICLE NATURE COMMUNICATIONS | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21762-8 ydrothermal systems are prime targets for astrobiological for Proterozoic crust)44. -
Windy Mars: a Dynamic Planet As Seen by the Hirise Camera N
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 34, L23205, doi:10.1029/2007GL031445, 2007 Click Here for Full Article Windy Mars: A dynamic planet as seen by the HiRISE camera N. T. Bridges,1 P. E. Geissler,2 A. S. McEwen,3 B. J. Thomson,1 F. C. Chuang,4 K. E. Herkenhoff,2 L. P. Keszthelyi,2 and S. Martı´nez-Alonso5 Received 7 August 2007; revised 10 October 2007; accepted 23 October 2007; published 15 December 2007. [1] With a dynamic atmosphere and a large supply of one form cannot be confidently distinguished from another. particulate material, the surface of Mars is heavily Up to 3 orders of superposed bedforms are commonly seen influenced by wind-driven, or aeolian, processes. The in HiRISE images (Figure 1). The first order (T1)isthe High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) trend marked by the large dune or ripple crests. Higher camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) orders, commonly at sub-orthogonal orientations, are re- provides a new view of Martian geology, with the ability ferred to as T2 and T3, following terrestrial nomenclature to see decimeter-size features. Current sand movement, and [Warren and Kay, 1987]. Similar patterns are seen on Earth evidence for recent bedform development, is observed. dunes [Warren and Kay, 1987; Bristow et al., 2000], with T2 Dunes and ripples generally exhibit complex surfaces down and T3 bedforms forming on time scales as short as a day. to the limits of resolution. Yardangs have diverse textures, The higher order bedforms occur preferentially, but not with some being massive at HiRISE scale, others having exclusively, on the gentle slope, interpreted as the stoss horizontal and cross-cutting layers of variable character, and (windward) face, of the lower order bedforms.