Affiliation:
1. School of Earth and Planetary Science, Space Science and Technology Centre Curtin University Perth WA Australia
2. German Aerospace Center (DLR) Berlin Germany
Abstract
AbstractMost impact basins are believed to have formed during the early epochs of planetary evolution. The planet's gravity, internal structure, and thermal regime have the strongest control over their formation. Because of this, we can use the geophysical constraints on Mars' interior composition, structure, and geophysical evolution derived from the InSight mission to better understand the formation of impact basins on the planet. To achieve this, we performed numerical simulations of large impacts using the iSALE shock physics code. We investigated the effects of temperature and crustal thickness variations on impact basin size and morphology. Our scaling relationships indicate that: (a) basins formed in a warmer crust have larger final diameters in comparison to basins formed in a colder crust, a difference that is further accentuated as basin size gets bigger; and (b) the largest impact basins on Mars were created by impactors ranging from 35 to 680 km in diameter, up to ∼32% larger than estimates based on classical scaling. Our results expand the current understanding of the extent of early and large impact bombardment on Mars and provide a more comprehensive knowledge of impact basin formation on planetary surfaces.
Funder
Australian Research Council
Publisher
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Reference60 articles.
1. SALE: a simplified ALE computer program for fluid flow at all speeds
2. Baker D. M. H.(2016).Updated catalogs of peak‐ring basins and Protobasins on Mars [Conference expanded abstract]. 47th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Houston Texas USA.https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2016/
3. On Physically Similar Systems; Illustrations of the Use of Dimensional Equations