Reuyl (crater)

Reuyl Crater

Map of Aeolis quadrangle. The Spirit Rover landed in Gusev crater. It found volcanic rocks that probably came from Apollinaris Patera. A large pile of layered rocks sits in the middle of Gale Crater.
Planet Mars
Coordinates 9°48′S 193°12′W / 9.8°S 193.2°W / -9.8; -193.2Coordinates: 9°48′S 193°12′W / 9.8°S 193.2°W / -9.8; -193.2
Eponym Dirk Reuyl, a Dutch-American physicist and astronomer (1906–1972) who made astronomical measurements of the diameter of Mars in the 1940s

Reuyl Crater is a crater in the Aeolis quadrangle of Mars, located at 9.8° south latitude and 193.2° west longitude and is 85.9 km in diameter. This martian feature and was named after Dirk Reuyl, a Dutch-American physicist and astronomer (1906–1972) who made astronomical measurements of the diameter of Mars in the 1940s.[1]

Why are Craters important?

The density of impact craters is used to determine the surface ages of Mars and other solar system bodies.[2] The older the surface, the more craters present. Crater shapes can reveal the presence of ground ice.

The area around craters may be rich in minerals. On Mars, heat from the impact melts ice in the ground. Water from the melting ice dissolves minerals, and then deposits them in cracks or faults that were produced with the impact. This process, called hydrothermal alteration, is a major way in which ore deposits are produced. The area around Martian craters may be rich in useful ores for the future colonization of Mars.[3] Studies on the earth have documented that cracks are produced and that secondary minerals veins are deposited in the cracks.[4][5][6] Images from satellites orbiting Mars have detected cracks near impact craters.[7] Great amounts of heat are produced during impacts. The area around a large impact may take hundreds of thousands of years to cool.[8][9][10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature | Reuyl". usgs.gov. International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  2. ↑ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/slidesets/stones/
  3. ↑ http://www.indiana.edu/~sierra/papers/2003/Patterson.html.
  4. ↑ Osinski, G, J. Spray, and P. Lee. 2001. Impact-induced hydrothermal activity within the Haughton impact structure, arctic Canada: Generation of a transient, warm, wet oasis. Meteoritics & Planetary Science: 36. 731-745
  5. ↑ http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/arizona/maps/2005/00000040/00000012/art00007
  6. ↑ Pirajno, F. 2000. Ore Deposits and Mantle Plumes. Kluwer Academic Publishers. Dordrecht, The Netherlands
  7. ↑ Head, J. and J. Mustard. 2006. Breccia Dikes and Crater-Related Faults in Impact Craters on Mars: Erosion and Exposure on the Floor of a 75-km Diameter Crater at the Dichotomy Boundary. Special Issue on Role of Volatiles and Atmospheres on Martian Impact Craters Meteoritics & Planetary Science
  8. ↑ name="news.discovery.com"
  9. ↑ Segura, T, O. Toon, A. Colaprete, K. Zahnle. 2001. Effects of Large Impacts on Mars: Implications for River Formation. American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting#33, #19.08
  10. ↑ Segura, T, O. Toon, A. Colaprete, K. Zahnle. 2002. Environmental Effects of Large Impacts on Mars. Science: 298, 1977-1980.


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