This image shows pit craters on Mars, running east-west and north-south, and they most likely track an unground lava tube. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
On Mars, pit craters are generally bowl-shaped and tend to occur in featureless and otherwise flat surface, and planetary scientists can tell a pit crater from an effect crater since pit craters usually have no upraised rim or ejecta, as impact craters do. most of them can be easily determined by their absence of raised rims or ejecta, which would be present if an effect would have developed the crater.
However the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and other previous objectives orbiting the Red Planet have identified more than 100 pit craters around the Tharsis region of Mars that exhibit unusual functions compared to other pit craters.
Pit craters are found on strong bodies throughout our Planetary system, including Earth, Venus, the Moon, and Mars. These craters– which are not formed by impacts– can be signs of underground lava tubes, which are produced when the top of a stream of molten rock strengthens and the lava inside drains pipes away, leaving a hollow tube of rock. If a part of the roof of the tube is unsupported, parts of it might fall in, making a hole or a pit along the lava tubes course.
Remove All Ads on Universe Today
Join our Patreon for as low as $3!
Get the ad-free experience for life
Called Atypical Pit Craters (APCs) they typically have sharp and distinct rims, vertical or overhanging walls that extend down to their floors. They are normally round or bell shaped, and their surface area diameters that can be a 3rd bigger than the typical pit craters.
Pit craters are discovered on solid bodies throughout our Solar System, including Earth, Venus, the Moon, and Mars. These craters– which are not formed by effects– can be signs of underground lava tubes, which are created when the top of a stream of molten rock strengthens and the lava inside drains pipes away, leaving a hollow tube of rock. If a part of the roof of the tube is unsupported, parts of it may fall in, making a hole or a pit along the lava tubes path.
Called Atypical Pit Craters (APCs) they usually have sharp and distinct rims, vertical or overhanging walls that extend down to their floorings. They are normally cylindrical or bell shaped, and their surface diameters that can be a 3rd larger than the normal pit craters. They can range from 50– 350? meters in size.
The Tharsis area is the large volcanic plateau near the equator in the western hemisphere of Mars, which is house to the largest volcanoes in the Solar System, and scientists believe the abundance of APC because area originate from the underground tubes that may criss-cross between the huge volcanoes of Mars.
An Atypical Pit Crater near Elysium Mons. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Today MRO has actually found a number of APCs in another volcanic region that is older than Tharsis. The Atypical Pit Craters shown here are near the volcano Elysium Mons, which is the third biggest mountain on Mars and is place in the Martian eastern hemisphere.
Scientists from MRO are thrilled to find these older APCs, as they feel they “need to reveal erosional qualities and potentially whether they are ancient or formed more just recently. HiRISE has actually targeted many APC in Tharsis, but scientists state these are the very first to be suggested in older terrain.
The area around Elysium Mons has lots of craters on its surface area, and while some have most likely formed by meteor impact, there are many that reveal no ejecta pattern. Many are lined up in linear patterns that are radial to the summit caldera, and so planetary scientists feel these most likely formed by collapse as lava was withdrawn from beneath the surface, rather than by meteor effect.
As we discussed in a current article, these pit craters develop entryways to underground lava tubes. On the Moon, they might provide thermally steady habitats, along with safe protecting from cosmic rays, solar radiation and micrometeorites for future human explorers.
More reading: HiRISE picture of the day: APC near Elysium MonsPaper: Atypical pit craters on Mars: New insights from THEMIS, CTX, and HiRISE observationsNASA: Pit Craters and Giant Volcanoes
Like this: Like Loading …
