Schmidt (Martian crater)
Schmidt Crater is an impact crater in the Mare Australe quadrangle of Mars, located at 72.3°S latitude and 78.1°W longitude. It is 212.5 km in diameter and was named after J. F. Julius Schmidt and Otto Schmidt, and the name was approved in 1973 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN).[1]
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Schmidt (Martian crater), as seen by CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter). Arrows indicate the north and south rims of crater.
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Dunes and dust devil tracks in Schmidt crater, as seen by CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter). Narrow, dark lines are dust devil tracks. Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image of Schmidt crater.
Why craters are important
The density of impact craters is used to determine the surface ages of Mars and other solar system bodies.[2] The older the surface, the more craters present. Crater shapes can reveal the presence of ground ice.
See also
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/slidesets/stones/
Recommended reading
- Lorenz, R. 2014. The Dune Whisperers. The Planetary Report: 34, 1, 8-14
- Lorenz, R., J. Zimbelman. 2014. Dune Worlds: How Windblown Sand Shapes Planetary Landscapes. Springer Praxis Books / Geophysical Sciences.
