Resen is a
crater
Crater may refer to:
Landforms
*Impact crater, a depression caused by two celestial bodies impacting each other, such as a meteorite hitting a planet
*Explosion crater, a hole formed in the ground produced by an explosion near or below the surfac ...
in the
Mare Tyrrhenum quadrangle
The Mare Tyrrhenum quadrangle is one of a series of 30 quadrangle maps of Mars used by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Astrogeology Research Program. This quadrangle is also referred to as MC-22 (Mars Chart-22). It contains parts o ...
on
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...
, located at 28.22° South and 251.13° West. It is measures 7.4 kilometers in diameter and was named after the town of
Resen in North Macedonia. The naming was approved by IAU's
Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature on 19 January 2011.
Some parts of the crater display a high concentration of closely spaced pits. Pits show little or no evidence of rims or ejecta. The pits are so close to each other that adjacent pits often share the same wall. It is believed that the pits form from steam produced when the heat from the impact process interacts with ice in the ground.
The presence of these pits is evidence that the region has ground ice. 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.
Studies on the earth have documented that cracks are produced and that secondary minerals veins are deposited in the cracks. Images from satellites orbiting Mars have detected cracks near impact craters. Great amounts of heat are produced during impacts. The area around a large impact may take hundreds of thousands of years to cool.
[Segura, T, O. Toon, A. Colaprete, K. Zahnle. 2002. Environmental Effects of Large Impacts on Mars. Science: 298, 1977-1980.]
Wikiresen.jpg, Resen Crater, as seen by CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter).
Wikiresenpits.jpg, Resen Crater as seen by CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter). Besides showing the ejecta, image shows small pits on crater floor caused by escaping steam. Note: this image is an enlargement of the previous image of Resen.
WikiresenPSP 008135 1520.jpg, Pits on floor of Resen Crater, as seen by HiRISE. Pits were formed when heat from impact vaporized ice in the ground.
See also
*
Climate of Mars
*
Geology of Mars
The geology of Mars is the scientific study of the surface, crust, and interior of the planet Mars. It emphasizes the composition, structure, history, and physical processes that shape the planet. It is analogous to the field of terrestrial geo ...
*
HiRISE
*
Impact crater
*
Impact event
An impact event is a collision between astronomical objects causing measurable effects. Impact events have physical consequences and have been found to regularly occur in planetary systems, though the most frequent involve asteroids, comets or me ...
*
List of craters on Mars
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This is a list of craters on Mars. Impact craters on Mars larger than exist by the hundreds of thousands, but only about one thousand of them have names. Names are assigned by the International Astronomical Union after petitioning by ...
*
Ore resources on Mars
*
Planetary nomenclature
*
Water on Mars
References
{{Authority control
Impact craters on Mars
Mare Tyrrhenum quadrangle