lazarus14-blog

[lazarus14-blog]

Week 2:

CODE:

Output:

Frequency of morphological ejecta on martian surface

2) No of layers and occurence of ejecta’s on different latitude on the martian surface. 

3) No of layers and occurence of ejecta’s on different longitudes on the martian surface

[lazarus14-blog]

                                           MARS CRATER STUDY

 Craters are generally shallower on Mars because, compared to the Moon or Mercury, Mars has had higher erosion rates that serve to infill craters over time. But yet, Mars contains many craters that are anomalously deep for their diameters .There are a number of possible explanations for such features on Mars; one of them is that some of the depressions interpreted as impact craters are actually not impact craters at all.

Variable under consideration: Morphology Ejecta

Second variable under consideration: Latitude, Longitude, Diameter of crater

 Research Questions:

Q1)What are the diameter and depth of the craters on martian surfaces as compared to those of moon and other planets? What is the effect of erosion on it.

Q2) On which region are the crater formations more prominent?

Q3) What is the relationship between type of morphological ejecta and the latitude on which it is formed.

Variables related to the research questions:

Literature Review:

1) Report focuses on the ejecta morphologies and central pit characteristics of these craters. The results indicate that single‐layer ejecta (SLE) morphology is most consistent with impact into an ice‐rich target. Double‐layer ejecta (DLE) and multiple‐layer ejecta (MLE) craters also likely form in volatile‐rich materials, but the interaction of the ejecta curtain and target‐produced vapor with the thin Martian atmosphere may be responsible for the large runout distances of these ejecta. Pancake craters appear to be a modified form of double‐layer craters where the thin outer layer has been destroyed or is unobservable at present resolutions. Pedestal craters are proposed to form in an ice rich mantle deposited during high obliquity periods from which the ice has subsequently sublimated. Central pits likely form by the release of vapor produced by impact into ice‐soil mixed targets. Source: Impact craters in the northern hemisphere of Mars: Layered ejecta and central pit characteristics- Nadine G. Barlow

2) It is shown that several crater types are preferentially associated with specific target materials: radial textured craters are found primarily on Tharsis and Elysium lavas, a type of crater here called ‘pancake craters’ on fractured terrain, old lavas, and channel materials. The occurrence of secondary craters is also strongly terrain dependent. Three times as many craters on young lavas have secondary craters as compared to those craters on ridged and cratered plains materials, and 10 times as many have secondary craters when compared to primary craters on ancient terrain materials. The maximum radial extent of fluidized ejecta blankets is demonstrated to be a function of both crater altitude and latitude. The most extensive ejecta units are found at low altitudes and high latitudes, while the least mobile ejecta is located at high elevations and close to the equator. Source: Martian fluidized crater morphology: Variations with crater size, latitude, altitude, and target material- Peter Mouginis‐Mark

3)  A key case, the martian crater Zunil and its secondary crater field, illustrate that reasonable predictions for the secondary crater size-frequency distribution at small (<100 m) crater diameters affected the standard model crater retention age for the Cerberus plains less than the statistical uncertainty. These observations show that age determination based on appropriate crater counting statistics is valid in a wide primary crater diameter range. Source:  Theoretical analysis of secondary cratering on Mars and an image-based study on the Cerberus Plains-  Author links open overlay panelStephanie C.WerneraBoris A.IvanovbGerhardNeukumc