Researchers have helped uncover the largest new asteroid impact craters on Mars since NASA’s Orbiter began scanning the planet.
Since NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter began searching for their planet 16 years ago, Curtin University researchers have assisted in the discovery of the largest new asteroid impact crater on Mars, one of which contains ice at the lowest altitude ever observed.
The two Curtin scientists are the only Australian representatives on the international NASA-led team that helped make the rare discovery of two impact craters larger than 130 meters in diameter, each of which formed on Mars. in the second half of 2021.
Associate Professor Katarina Miljkovic, from Curtin’s Center for Space Science and Technology and the School The earth and Planetary Science, says craters discovered using both NASA imaging technology and seismometers.
Associate Professor Miljkovic said: “As with NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA’s InSight seismometers became operational in the second half of 2021, which is when these impacts were recorded as happened”.
“They detected these impact events as massive seismic activity or ‘bangs’, first as the meteorite passed through the atmosphere and then again as it hit the ground.
“Impact events occur all the time on both Earth and Mars, but usually involves small rocks from space that only feed into the atmosphere. Sometimes we get impacts that can penetrate deeper into the atmosphere to form a noticeable explosion in the atmosphere or on the ground, which is the case here. ”
Because meteorite impacts are large, they penetrate deeper into the planet, triggering the only two earthquakes known to be caused by meteorite impacts on Mars, according to PhD student co-author Andrea Raji. Who completed research while at Curtin’s Center for Space Science and Technology.
“Not many large earthquakes have been detected on Mars, whether they are driven by internal geological forces or in this case external forces, but when they do occur,” Ms. Rajsic said. In fact, they help map the depths of Mars.”
“Impact events are extremely useful in seismology because they can be thought of as a limited seismic source with a known location. This is a great way to look at the inner structure of the Planet. Red.”
Associate Professor Miljkovic claims that one of the lowest-altitude ice excavating impacts ever observed on Mars, which will help we understand Mars’ lower surface’ country ice reservoir.
“This knowledge is useful for many reasons, from future human habitability on Mars and their ability to locate water as a resource to a fundamental understanding of Mars’ structure. If we understand the formation and evolution of our own planet, we should also understand other terrestrial planets,” said Associate Professor Miljkovic.
