Charleston Middle School Core D Science
Sunday, June 11,
2006
Introduction
In looking at THEMIS images, does there seem to be a typical shape of most craters on Mars? This is an important question if we want to learn more info about Mars and unlock some of its mysteries. The shape of craters may reveal information on both the force and direction of impact of meteorites and comets on Mars. It will also help scientists compare Mars to Earth.
Background
We already know some facts about Mars and its craters. Mars has many craters because it does not have a thick atmosphere. We know that craters are formed when comets or meteorites explode when they hit the ground. The southern craters formed in the early days of the solar system. Craters are usually no deeper than 1 1/4 miles and can be hundreds of kilometers across. Craters are typically an oval or circular shape; however, there may be exceptions to this assumption. In looking at THEMIS images we did find some craters that were not a circular shape.
Scientist Peter Schultz has drawn attention to the high abundance of non-circular craters on Mars. He suggests that these elliptical craters were formed by oblique impacts. One example of this is the crater next to a volcano called Ceranius Tholus.
Experiment Design
Our data for this assignment was compiled from the spacecraft Mars Odyssey and THEMIS. We looked at over thirty different images to gather data to answer this question. We mostly concentrated on the southern part of Mars since it has more craters than northern Mars.
Analysis Plan
After we compiled the measurements we graphed the shape of all craters we looked at using the THEMIS images. We then categorized the measurements into two groups, one whose shape would be considered circular, and others that have a shape other than round. A pie chart graph was used to compare the shapes of the craters to see if there is a typical shape that occurred most often. We found images that could prove that craters were usually circular.
Conclusion
We have concluded that there is no typical shape in all craters. In looking at all the different THEMIS images we have found a lot of circular craters but also some that are not. All craters do not have the same shape.