Magnetic Field Signatures of Intermediate-sized Impact Craters on Mars
Magnetic field signatures over impact craters provide constraints for the history of the Martian dynamo. Due to limitations of the spatial resolution of magnetic field models, previous studies primarily focused on large impact craters (mostly ≥ 500 km in diameter). To fill the impact crater age gaps...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acf856 |
| _version_ | 1797494700567953408 |
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| author | Kuixiang Zhang Aimin Du Can Huang Hao Luo Lin Tian Yasong Ge Jipeng Qin Lei Wang |
| author_facet | Kuixiang Zhang Aimin Du Can Huang Hao Luo Lin Tian Yasong Ge Jipeng Qin Lei Wang |
| author_sort | Kuixiang Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Magnetic field signatures over impact craters provide constraints for the history of the Martian dynamo. Due to limitations of the spatial resolution of magnetic field models, previous studies primarily focused on large impact craters (mostly ≥ 500 km in diameter). To fill the impact crater age gaps of previous studies, we investigate the magnetic field signature of 23 intermediate-sized craters (150–500 km in diameter) on Mars using both MAVEN data and a magnetic field model. Ten impact craters located in the South Province, the unmagnetized primordial crust, exhibit no or weak magnetic field signatures. The other 13 impact craters produce stronger magnetic anomalies, with the ratio of the averaged magnetic field inside and outside the craters ( B _in / B _out ) ranging from 0.4 to 1.2. The B _in / B _out values exhibit correlation coefficients of −0.54, −0.57, and −0.69 with the diameters of craters, calculated from the MAVEN data, the crustal field model at the surface, and 150 km altitude, respectively. A B _in / B _out larger than 1.0 usually appears in craters with smaller diameters, which is also demonstrated by the forward modeling in this study. Furthermore, the results of the forward modeling indicate that the craters of stronger magnetizations show a larger B _in / B _out . According to this, the Martian dynamo can be associated with the magnetization of craters of different ages, and the characteristic time of the dynamo can be limited. Our study supports the hypothesis that the Martian dynamo weakened or ceased at ∼4.0 Ga and a late dynamo was perhaps active at ∼3.7 Ga. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:38:07Z |
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| id | doaj.art-14711a9d46b04f51ae20f667a3c1eaf9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:38:07Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-14711a9d46b04f51ae20f667a3c1eaf92023-11-23T13:29:08ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572023-01-01958217110.3847/1538-4357/acf856Magnetic Field Signatures of Intermediate-sized Impact Craters on MarsKuixiang Zhang0https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0417-0600Aimin Du1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0525-7898Can Huang2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0223-0494Hao Luo3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8260-1533Lin Tian4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9568-5054Yasong Ge5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4345-522XJipeng Qin6https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1596-4684Lei Wang7https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0723-7775CAS Engineering Laboratory for Deep Resources Equipment and Technology, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, People's Republic of China ; amdu@mail.iggcas.ac.cn; College of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, People's Republic of ChinaCAS Engineering Laboratory for Deep Resources Equipment and Technology, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, People's Republic of China ; amdu@mail.iggcas.ac.cn; College of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, People's Republic of ChinaCAS Engineering Laboratory for Deep Resources Equipment and Technology, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, People's Republic of China ; amdu@mail.iggcas.ac.cn; College of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, People's Republic of ChinaCAS Engineering Laboratory for Deep Resources Equipment and Technology, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, People's Republic of China ; amdu@mail.iggcas.ac.cn; College of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, People's Republic of ChinaCAS Engineering Laboratory for Deep Resources Equipment and Technology, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, People's Republic of China ; amdu@mail.iggcas.ac.cnCAS Engineering Laboratory for Deep Resources Equipment and Technology, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, People's Republic of China ; amdu@mail.iggcas.ac.cn; College of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, People's Republic of ChinaCAS Engineering Laboratory for Deep Resources Equipment and Technology, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, People's Republic of China ; amdu@mail.iggcas.ac.cn; College of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, People's Republic of ChinaCAS Engineering Laboratory for Deep Resources Equipment and Technology, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, People's Republic of China ; amdu@mail.iggcas.ac.cn; College of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, People's Republic of ChinaMagnetic field signatures over impact craters provide constraints for the history of the Martian dynamo. Due to limitations of the spatial resolution of magnetic field models, previous studies primarily focused on large impact craters (mostly ≥ 500 km in diameter). To fill the impact crater age gaps of previous studies, we investigate the magnetic field signature of 23 intermediate-sized craters (150–500 km in diameter) on Mars using both MAVEN data and a magnetic field model. Ten impact craters located in the South Province, the unmagnetized primordial crust, exhibit no or weak magnetic field signatures. The other 13 impact craters produce stronger magnetic anomalies, with the ratio of the averaged magnetic field inside and outside the craters ( B _in / B _out ) ranging from 0.4 to 1.2. The B _in / B _out values exhibit correlation coefficients of −0.54, −0.57, and −0.69 with the diameters of craters, calculated from the MAVEN data, the crustal field model at the surface, and 150 km altitude, respectively. A B _in / B _out larger than 1.0 usually appears in craters with smaller diameters, which is also demonstrated by the forward modeling in this study. Furthermore, the results of the forward modeling indicate that the craters of stronger magnetizations show a larger B _in / B _out . According to this, the Martian dynamo can be associated with the magnetization of craters of different ages, and the characteristic time of the dynamo can be limited. Our study supports the hypothesis that the Martian dynamo weakened or ceased at ∼4.0 Ga and a late dynamo was perhaps active at ∼3.7 Ga.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acf856MarsImpact phenomenaPlanetary dynamicsMagnetic fields |
| spellingShingle | Kuixiang Zhang Aimin Du Can Huang Hao Luo Lin Tian Yasong Ge Jipeng Qin Lei Wang Magnetic Field Signatures of Intermediate-sized Impact Craters on Mars The Astrophysical Journal Mars Impact phenomena Planetary dynamics Magnetic fields |
| title | Magnetic Field Signatures of Intermediate-sized Impact Craters on Mars |
| title_full | Magnetic Field Signatures of Intermediate-sized Impact Craters on Mars |
| title_fullStr | Magnetic Field Signatures of Intermediate-sized Impact Craters on Mars |
| title_full_unstemmed | Magnetic Field Signatures of Intermediate-sized Impact Craters on Mars |
| title_short | Magnetic Field Signatures of Intermediate-sized Impact Craters on Mars |
| title_sort | magnetic field signatures of intermediate sized impact craters on mars |
| topic | Mars Impact phenomena Planetary dynamics Magnetic fields |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acf856 |
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