Bradley Central High School Mars Research Proposed By Bradley Central High School Physics Honors Cleveland, TN

I. Introduction Is there a difference between the size of the crater and the ejecta blanket? Hypothesis The bigger the crater, the bigger the ejecta blanket. The smaller the crater, the smaller the ejecta blanket.

II. Background General Definitions Crater- circular bowl shaped depression on a surface such as Earth or Mars. Ejecta – matter thrown out of a crater by an erupting volcano or during meteorite impact. Ejecta Blanket- is a generally symmetrical apron of ejecta that surrounds a crater. http://dictionary.com

http://static.mars.asu.edu/uploads/CratersPresentation.pdf

This is a crater that was formed by a meteor impacting Mars’s surface. http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20060818a This is the ejecta blanket that was formed by the formation of the crater. http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20060818a

http://static.mars.asu.edu/uploads/CratersPresentation.pdf

http://static.mars.asu.edu/uploads/CratersPresentation.pdf

http://static.mars.asu.edu/uploads/CratersPresentation.pdf

Preserved Craters Near perfect craters Raised rims Look New Can sometimes see ejecta blanket or central peak Young Crater http://marsed.mars.asu.edu/files/msip_resources/Mars%20Image%20Analysis%202012.pdf

Modified Craters Craters have been changed or modified Erosion (wind, water, lava) Other impacts Sometimes crater ejecta is visible but looks eroded Crater may have smooth floor (partially filled in with material or sediment) Middle-aged craters Modified Craters http://marsed.mars.asu.edu/files/msip_resources/Mars%20Image%20Analysis%202012.pdf

Destroyed Craters Look very worn away Rims are broken Have been severely changed or modified Crater has been filled in almost completely by sediment Very old craters Destroyed Craters http://marsed.mars.asu.edu/files/msip_resources/Mars%20Image%20Analysis%202012.pdf

Craters on Earth They are formed on earth by meteor collision, or from volcanic magma, and gas explosions. Most meteors burn up in the atmosphere as shooting stars before ever colliding with the surface of the Earth. When a meteor makes it through Earth’s atmosphere without burning up, it strikes the ground faster than the speed of sound. There have only been about 160 terrestrial impact craters that have been recognized on Earth. Due to the factors that scrape away evidence of a crater, some are never detected. http://news.discovery.com www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/meteor/ http://Education.natioanlgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/crater/

Utilizing Impact Craters to Learn About Planets Impact craters give several typed of evidence about planets. They excavate and expose material. Their central peaks expose material originally about one-tenth of the crater diameter below the surface. For example, Pieters (1982) found that the central peak of the lunar crater Copernicus has a spectrum not seen in other lunar areas, and he interpreted it as olivine-rich, up thrust material from a 10-k, deep crustal layer. http://seismo.berkeley.edu/~rallen/eps122/reading/HartmannDatingWithCraters.pdf

Ejecta Blankets A blanket of debris surrounding an impact crater. Composed of material ejected from the crater during its formation, and is laid down with stratigraphy inverted from that of the bedrock. Typically a star-shaped distribution of ejecta around the crater rim. In addition to rock fragments excavated from the crater, and melted material, surface material from outside the crater may be incorporated by base surge erosion or excavated by secondary craters caused by large ejected blocks. http://seismo.berkeley.edu/~rallen/eps122/reading/HartmannDatingWithCraters.pdf

III. Experimental Design Used the THEMIS camera system from the Mars Odyssey Spacecraft Visible Imagine System Focusing on craters and ejecta blankets to determine if there is any relation in their sizes. Images were within the -45 to 45 latitude Used 30 images http://themis.asu.edu

Used JMARS Explored each image Recorded measurements Image ID Latitude Longitude Type of crater (preserved, modified, destroyed) Recorded measurements Diameter left to right of the crater Diameter top to bottom of the crater Area of the crater Area of the crater and ejecta blanket Noted any additional information of interest http://jmars.mars.asu.edu/downloads/jmars-msip.jnlp)

Targeting our Image

Area of Ejecta Blanket & Crater Additional Info of Interest IV. Analysis Plan Image ID (V# or I#) Lat. Long. Diameter Left to Right Diameter Top to Bottom Area of Ejecta Blanket & Crater Area of crater Type of Crater Additional Info of Interest V2665027 43.4 359 1.17 1.10 9.286 0.94 Modified None 2 4.05 3.76 6.02 1.1 V26717030 0.341 119.3 1.16 2.17 1.118 Preserved 9 358 2.34 2.21 5.59 1.83 40.6 1.54 0.84 25.06 2.24

Calculating Area of the Ejecta Blanket Used a formula to determine the difference of: Total area of Ejecta Blanket and crater Total area of only the crater

Types Of Craters

Area Of Crater vs. Area Of Ejecta Blanket

Area Of Crater vs. Area Of Ejecta Blanket

Distance Across The Crater Left To Right vs. Top To Bottom

Distance Across The Crater Left To Right vs. Top To Bottom

Map showing location of Craters Analyzed http://mola.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/mercat_med.jpg

V. Conclusion The largest known crater on Mars is the Hellas Basin. It is 2,100 km across and as deep as 9 km in places. It is surrounded by an ejecta field that stretches 4,000 km from the center of the basin. http://www.universetoday.com/22600/craters-on-mars/ In Conclusion…take into account the example of Hellas Basin .. From this, you can see a

For that crater, the ejecta blanket was twice the length in size of the crater. Is that the case for all craters? Our data looked at area as opposed to length and showed that for the majority of craters the area of the ejecta blanket is three times that of the area of the crater.

Initial Research Question Is there a difference between the area of the crater and the area of the ejecta blanket? Final Data Analysis Our evidence supports that the area of the ejecta blanket is generally three times that of the crater. Additionally As we examined the crater’s diameters, our data showed that there was a one to one ratio meaning the craters were circular in shape.

Stated Hypothesis Results The bigger the crater area, the bigger the area of the ejecta blanket. The smaller the crater area, the smaller the area of the ejecta blanket. Results The evidence supports the hypothesis that bigger the crater area, the bigger the area of the ejecta blanket. The evidence also supports the hypothesis that the smaller the crater area, the smaller the area of the ejecta blanket.