Tag Archives: central pit

How do impacts make Mars central-pit craters?

[Editor’s note: From a paper by Samantha Peel and two co-authors recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.] Formation of central pits in impact craters on Mars: A statistical investigation of proposed mechanisms • Formation mechanisms for central pits … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Central peak and pit with bedrock exposures

A central peak and pit with bedrock exposures. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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THEMIS: Crater channels, gullies, dunes & a pit

THEMIS Image of the Day, January 25, 2017. This VIS image shows part of an unnamed crater in Terra Cimmeria. The crater rim is dissected by gullies, and the central pit has several channels entering from the higher elevation of … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Exposed fractured bedrock in a crater

This HiRISE image shows the central pit feature of an approximately 20-kilometer diameter complex crater in located at 304.480 degrees east, -11.860 degrees south, just north of the Valles Marineris. Here we can observe a partial ring of light-toned, massive … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Central pit crater

THEMIS Image of the Day, March 3, 2016. Today’s image shows an unnamed crater located northwest of Elysium Mons. This crater contains a central pit, which formed at the time of impact. The depth, diameter and central morphology of a … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Central pit crater

THEMIS Image of the Day, November 13, 2015. Crater floors can have a range of features, from flat to a central peak or a central pit. This unnamed crater in Terra Sabaea has a central pit. The different floor features … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Gullies in a central-pit crater

Sometimes a central pit forms inside some Martian craters, especially when there’s substantial ground ice. Such is the case in this observation. Sometimes what we call “mass wasting” processes (think small avalanches or landslides) occur on the slopes of the … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Tugaske Crater

THEMIS Image of the Day, July 7, 2015. Today’s VIS image shows part of Tugaske Crater. The northern margin of this crater has been modified from a circular form, most likely related to the tectonic activity of Claritas Fossae, where … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Pit crater — false color

THEMIS Image of the Day, June 18, 2015. The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined in multiple ways to create a false color image. These false color images may reveal subtle variations … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Central pit crater

THEMIS Image of the Day, June 2, 2015. Today’s VIS image shows an unnamed crater in Noachis Terra. This crater has a pit in the center of the floor of the crater. Craters can have several different features at this … Continue reading

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