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Chincoteague (crater)

Coordinates: 41°30′N 236°00′W / 41.5°N 236.0°W / 41.5; -236.0
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Chincoteague
Chincoteague crater, as seen by HiRISE.
PlanetMars
Coordinates41°30′N 236°00′W / 41.5°N 236.0°W / 41.5; -236.0
QuadrangleCebrenia
Diameter37.0 km (23.0 mi)
EponymChincoteague, Virginia, USA

Chincoteague is an impact crater in the Cebrenia quadrangle of Mars, located at 41.5° N and 236.0° W. It was named after Chincoteague, a town in Virginia, US.[1] Chincoteague crater has a small central mound. Along the wall, a number of gullies are visible.

Gullies

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Chincoteague crater displays gullies on its wall. Many ideas have been put forth to explain them. For many years, many researchers thought they were made by recent liquid water.[2] However, with more observations, other mechanisms became possible. It was observed that new gullies were forming today during the Martian spring when dry ice was able to sublimate (turn from a solid to a gas). Chunks of dry ice could accumulate in the cold winter months and then slide down when warmed. In the thin atmosphere of the planet they would ride on a cushion of gas that was coming off the pieces of dry ice.[3][4][5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Chincoteague (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ^ Malin, M., Edgett, K. 2000. "Evidence for recent groundwater seepage and surface runoff on Mars". Science 288, 2330–2335.
  3. ^ "NASA Spacecraft Observes Further Evidence of Dry Ice Gullies on Mars". Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
  4. ^ "HiRISE | Activity in Martian Gullies (ESP_032078_1420)".
  5. ^ "Gullies on Mars Carved by Dry Ice, Not Water". Space.com. 16 July 2014.