Largest recent impact craters on Mars: Orbital imaging and surface seismic co-investigation

Lilia Posiolova; P Lognonne; W B Banerdt; John Clinton; Gareth S Collins; Taichi Kawamura; S Ceylan; Ingrid J. Daubar; B Fernando; M Froment; D Giardini; Michael C. Malin; Katarina Miljkovic; Simon C Stahler; Z. George Xue; Maria E Banks; E Beucler; Bruce A Cantor; C. Charalambous; N Dahmen; Paul W. Davis; Cesar M. Duran; M. Drilleau; Colin M. Dundas; F Euchner; R F Garcia; Matthew P. Golombek; Anna Horleston; C Keegan; Abdul S. Khan; D. Kim; C Larmat; Ralph D. Lorenz; L Margerin; S Menina; Mark Panning; C Pardo; C Perrin; W T Pike; M Plasman; A Rajsic; Lucie Rolland; E Rougier; Gunnar Speth; Aymeric Spiga; Alexander E. Stott; David Susko; N Teanby; A Valeh; A. Werynski; N Wojcicka; G Zenhausern

doi:10.1126/science.abq7704

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Largest recent impact craters on Mars: Orbital imaging and surface seismic co-investigation

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Abstract

Two 130+ meter diameter impact craters formed on Mars during the later half of 2021. These are the two largest fresh impact craters discovered by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter since operations started 16 years ago. The impacts created two of the largest seismic events (magnitudes greater than 4) recorded by InSight during its three year mission. The combination of orbital imagery and seismic ground motion enables the investigation of subsurface and atmospheric energy partitioning of the impact process on a planet with a thin atmosphere and the first direct test of Martian deep-interior seismic models with known event distances.The impact at 35°N excavated blocks of water ice, which is the lowest latitude ice has been directly observed on Mars.

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Lilia Posiolova, P Lognonne, W B Banerdt, John Clinton, Gareth S Collins, Taichi Kawamura, S Ceylan, Ingrid J. Daubar, B Fernando, M Froment, D Giardini, Michael C. Malin, Katarina Miljkovic, Simon C Stahler, Z. George Xue, Maria E Banks, E Beucler, Bruce A Cantor, C. Charalambous, N Dahmen, Paul W. Davis, Cesar M. Duran, M. Drilleau, Colin M. Dundas, F Euchner, R F Garcia, Matthew P. Golombek, Anna Horleston, C Keegan, Abdul S. Khan, D. Kim, C Larmat, Ralph D. Lorenz, L Margerin, S Menina, Mark Panning, C Pardo, C Perrin, W T Pike, M Plasman, A Rajsic, Lucie Rolland, E Rougier, Gunnar Speth, Aymeric Spiga, Alexander E. Stott, David Susko, N Teanby, A Valeh, A. Werynski, N Wojcicka, G Zenhausern. 2022. Largest recent impact craters on Mars: Orbital imaging and surface seismic co-investigation. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abq7704

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