South (Martian crater)
 Topographic location map of South Crater | |
| Planet | Mars |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 76°54′S21°54′E/ 76.9°S 21.9°E |
| Quadrangle | Mare Australe |
| Diameter | 101.84 km (63.28 mi) |
| Eponym | Sir James South |
Southis animpact craterin theMare Australe quadrangleofMars,located at 76.9°S latitude and 21.9°E longitude. It measures 101.84 kilometres (63.28 mi) in diameter, and was named after British astronomerSir James South(1785–1867). The name was approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU)Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclaturein 1973.[1]
Description
[edit]Very close to the crater there are what have been named "Swiss cheese" features.Swiss cheese features(SCFs) are pits so named because they look like the holes inSwiss cheese.They were first seen in 2000 usingMars Orbiter Cameraimagery.[2]They are usually a few hundred meters across and 8 metres (26 ft) deep, with a flat base and steep sides. They tend to have similar bean-like shapes with a cusp pointing towards the south pole. The angle of the sun probably contributes to their roundness. Near the Martiansummer solstice,the sun can remain continuously just above the horizon; as a result the walls of a round depression will receive more intense sunlight, and sublimate much more rapidly than the floor. The walls sublimate and recede, while the floor remains the same.[3][4]
As the seasonal frost disappears, the pit walls appear to darken considerably relative to the surrounding terrain. The SCFs have been observed to grow in size, year by year, at an average rate of 1 to 3 metres (3 ft 3 in to 9 ft 10 in), suggesting that they are formed in a thin layer (8 m or 26 ft) ofcarbon dioxideice lying on top of water ice.[5][6]
Gallery
[edit]-
Viking Orbiter 2image -
East side of South crater, as seen by CTX camera (onMRO). -
Layers in southern part of mound in South crater, as seen by CTX camera. Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image of east side of South crater. -
Layers just outside the rim of South crater in the form of "Swiss cheese," as seen by CTX camera. Note: this is an enlargement of a previous image of east side of South crater. -
Western side of South crater, as seen by CTX camera. -
Layers in mound in western side of South crater, as seen by CTX camera. Note: this is an enlargement of a previous image of west side of South crater. -
Layers just outside rim of western side of South crater in the form of "Swiss cheese," as seen by CTX camera. Note: this is an enlargement of a previous image of west side of South crater.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^International Astronomical Union(IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN)."South on Mars".Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.US Geological Survey.Retrieved2 February2021.
- ^Thomas, P. C.; et al. (March 2000). "North-south geological differences between the residual polar caps on Mars".Nature.404(6774): 161–164.Bibcode:2000Natur.404..161T.doi:10.1038/35004528.PMID10724162.S2CID4379259.
- ^Hartmann, William K (2003).A Traveler's Guide to Mars.Workman Publishing.
- ^Mangold, Nicolas (2011). "Ice sublimation as a geomorphic process: A planetary perspective".Geomorphology.126(1–2): 1–17.Bibcode:2011Geomo.126....1M.doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.11.009.
- ^Byrne, S.; Ingersoll, A. P. (2002). "A Sublimation Model for the Formation of the Martian Polar Swiss-cheese Features".AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts.34.American Astronomical Society:837.Bibcode:2002DPS....34.0301B.
- ^Russell, Patrick (26 September 2007)."South Pole Residual Cap Swiss-Cheese Terrain Monitoring".The University of Arizona: Lunar and Planetary Laboratory: HiRISE.Retrieved2 February2021.