PIA03019: Secondary Craters


Secondary Craters

Caption:

7 October 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a cluster of craters in far western Arabia Terra. The crater cluster is oriented along a line that runs nearly east-west (left-right) across the scene. Clusters of craters positioned along a line like this are secondary craters -- that is, they formed as the result of a much larger meteor, asteroid, or cometary impact somewhere else in the region. These craters do not form from the object that impacted Mars to form the larger, primary crater; these are the product of the impact of the rocks and debris thrown out by the larger impact.

Location near : 14.9°N, 19.3°W
Image width : width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from : lower left
Season : Northern Autumn

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Mars
System
Target Type Planet
Mission Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)
Instrument Host Mars Global Surveyor
Host Type Orbiter
Instrument Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC)
Detector
Extra Keywords Asteroid, Comet, Crater, Grayscale, Impact
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2005-10-07
Date in Caption 2005-10-07
Image Credit NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03019
Identifier PIA03019