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Abstract: Determining the ages of young planetary surfaces relies on using populations of small, often sub‐km diameter impact craters due to the higher frequency at which they form. Smaller craters however can be less reliable for estimating ages as their size‐frequency distribution is more susceptible to alteration with debate as to whether they should be used at all. With the current plethora of meter‐scale resolution images acquired of the lunar and Martian surfaces, small craters have been widely used to derive model ages to establish the temporal relation of recent geologic events. In this review paper, we discuss the many factors that make smaller craters particularly challenging to use and should be taken into consideration when crater counts are confined to small crater diameters. Establishing confidence in a model age ultimately requires an understanding of the geologic context of the surface being dated as reliability can vary considerably and limitations of the dating technique should be considered in applying ages to any geologic interpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New information has been obtained in recent years regarding formation rates and the production size-frequency distribution ( PSFD) of decameter-scale primary Martian craters formed during recent orbiter missions. Here we compare the PSFD of the currently forming small primaries (P) with new data on the PSFD of the total small crater population that includes primaries and field secondaries (P + fS), which represents an average over longer time periods. The two data sets, if used in a combined manner, have extraordinary potential for clarifying not only the evolutionary history and resurfacing episodes of small Martian geological formations (as small as one or few km2) but also possible episodes of recent climatic change. In response to recent discussions of statistical methodologies, we point out that crater counts do not produce idealized statistics, and that inherent uncertainties limit improvements that can be made by more sophisticated statistical analyses. We propose three mutually supportive procedures for interpreting crater counts of small craters in this context. Applications of these procedures support suggestions that topographic features in upper meters of mid-latitude ice-rich areas date only from the last few periods of extreme Martian obliquity, and associated predicted climate excursions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The geological record of the formation and differentiation of our planet has been destroyed by its subsequent evolution, but extremely rare clues may be obtained from other terrestrial planets. Mars provides a unique and accessible example of an early evolutionary path corresponding to that, inaccessible, of our own world. We can investigate it with spacecraft, and samples are available for in-depth analysis on Earth in the form of martian meteorites. So far, the only available martian samples that appear to have recorded the early conditions and the evolution of the planet until the present time are Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034 and its paired stones, nicknamed "Black Beauty". This regolith breccia has been ejected a few million years ago by the formation of a large impact crater, and contains the oldest martian igneous material ever dated: ~4.5 Ga old [1-4]. However, its source and geological context have so far remained unknown. and with it, a region where the earliest geological records of the planet [1-4] are exposed on the surface. Knowing this source region would provide insights into early Mars geological history and crustal extraction [1-4]. This source region may therefore become a high-priority target for detailed orbital analyses and in-situ exploration [5]. Constraints on the meteorite launch site: Following a hypervelocity impact, ejecta materials moving faster than the escape velocity (5 km/s) may get through the martian atmosphere and continue their course into interplanetary space to become martian meteorites [6]. Slower debris fall back on the surface in a radial pattern or ray around the primary crater, forming secondary craters. The presence of 100 meter-size secondaries attests to the freshness of their associated primary craters [7]. Using the size and spatial distribution of more than 90 million impact craters >50 m (both primaries and secondaries) detected using a Crater Detection Algorithm (CDA) [7-8] on the whole surface of Mars from the global Context Camera (CTX) mosaic [9], a previous work [7] identified ray systems of secondary craters <150 m associated with 19 large primary craters, potential source of the ejection of martian meteorites. Here we compare the abundance of K and Th [10-11] as well as the magnetic field intensity and the magnetization of the surface of Mars derived from orbital measurements [12] at the immediate vicinity of each crater candidate with those of the breccia. We also compare the geological context of each of the crater candidates with the chronology and the lithology of the meteorite [e.g. 1-3, 13-14]. The ejection site for Black Beauty: Among the 19 crater candidates investigated, we found that only one match with the characteristics of the meteorite: a 10 km crater located in the north-east of the Terra Cimeria - Sirenum (TCTS) region, between Hesperia Planum and the Tharsis bulge. Our work suggests that clasts contained in the regolith breccia are representative of the TCTS province, making this region a relic of the early crustal processes on Mars [e.g. 15], and thus, a region of high interest for future missions. Details on the identification of the crater source of this unique meteorite, as well a its geological context and broader implications for early crustal processes on Mars will be presented at the conference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation mechanism of layered ejecta craters on Mars has remained a topic of intense debate since their discovery. In this study, we perform a global morphological analysis of Martian layered ejecta craters using Thermal Emission Imaging System ( THEMIS) images and Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter ( MOLA) data. The study focuses on the ejecta morphologies and well-defined distal rampart characteristics associated with 9945 layered ejecta craters with a diameter greater than 1.5 km distributed across the entire Martian surface. Data analysis based on the new database provides new information on the distribution and morphological details of the three major layered ejecta morphologies (single layer ejecta [ SLE], double layer ejecta [ DLE], and multiple layer ejecta [ MLE]). Global analysis is applied to the latitudinal distribution of characteristic parameters, including the ejecta mobility, lobateness values, and onset diameter. Our survey of the distribution and characteristics of layered ejecta craters reveals that strong correlations exist between ejecta mobility and latitude, and there is a latitudinal dependence of onset diameter. Our study of Martian layered ejecta craters provides more detailed information and insights of a connection between the layered ejecta morphologies and the subsurface volatiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit investigated the igneous and alteration mineralogy and chemistry of Home Plate and its surrounding deposits. Here, we focus on using thermochemical modeling to understand the secondary alteration mineralogy at the Home Plate outcrop and surrounding Columbia Hills region in Gusev crater. At high temperatures (300 °C), magnetite occurs at very high W/R ratios, but the alteration assemblage is dominated by chlorite and serpentine over most of the W/R range. Quartz, epidote, and typical high- T phases such as feldspar, pyroxene, and garnet occur at low W/R. At epithermal temperatures (150 °C), hematite occurs at very high W/R. A range of phyllosilicates, including kaolinite, nontronite, chlorite, and serpentine are precipitated at specific W/R. Amphibole, with garnet, feldspar, and pyroxene occur at low W/R. If the CO2 content of the system is high, the assemblage is dominated by carbonate with increasing amounts of an SiO2-phase, kaolinite, carpholite, and chlorite with lower W/R. At temperatures of hydrous weathering (13 °C), the oxide phase is goethite, silicates are chlorite, nontronite, and talc, plus an SiO2-phase. In the presence of CO2, the mineral assemblage at high W/R remains the same, and only at low W/R, i.e., with increasing salinity, carbonate precipitates. The geochemical gradients observed at Home Plate are attributed to short-lived, initially high (300 °C) temperature, but fast cooling events, which are in agreement with our models and our interpretation of a multistage alteration scenario of Home Plate and Gusev in general. Alteration at various temperatures and during different geological processes within Gusev crater has two effects, both of which increase the habitability of the local environment: precipitation of hydrous sheet silicates, and formation of a brine, which might contain elements essential for life in diluted, easily accessible form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fate of the impactor is an important aspect of the impact-cratering process. Defining impactor material as surviving if it remains solid (i.e., does not melt or vaporize) during crater formation, previous numerical modeling and experiments have shown that survivability decreases with increasing impact velocity, impact angle (with respect to the horizontal), and target density. Here, we show that in addition to these, impactor survivability depends on the porosity and shape of the impactor. Increasing impactor porosity decreases impactor survivability, while prolate-shaped (polar axis > equatorial axis) impactors survive impact more so than spherical and oblate-shaped (polar axis < equatorial axis) impactors. These results are used to produce a relatively simple equation, which can be used to estimate the impactor fraction shocked to a given pressure as a function of these parameters. By applying our findings to the Morokweng crater-forming impact, we suggest impact scenarios that explain the high meteoritic content and presence of unmolten fossil meteorites within the Morokweng crater. In addition to previous suggestions of a low-velocity and/or high-angled impact, this work suggests that an elongated and/or low porosity impactor may also help explain the anomalously high survivability of the Morokweng impactor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic nanoglobules are microscopic spherical carbon-rich objects present in chondritic meteorites and other astromaterials. We performed a survey of the morphology, organic functional chemistry, and isotopic composition of 184 nanoglobules in insoluble organic matter ( IOM) residues from seven primitive carbonaceous chondrites. Hollow and solid nanoglobules occur in each IOM residue, as well as globules with unusual shapes and structures. Most nanoglobules have an organic functional chemistry similar to, but slightly more carboxyl-rich than, the surrounding IOM, while a subset of nanoglobules have a distinct, highly aromatic functionality. The range of nanoglobule N isotopic compositions was similar to that of nonglobular 15N-rich hotspots in each IOM residue, but nanoglobules account for only about one third of the total 15N-rich hotspots in each sample. Furthermore, many nanoglobules in each residue contained no 15N enrichment above that of bulk IOM. No morphological indicators were found to robustly distinguish the highly aromatic nanoglobules from those that have a more IOM-like functional chemistry, or to distinguish 15N-rich nanoglobules from those that are isotopically normal. The relative abundance of aromatic nanoglobules was lower, and nanoglobule diameters were greater, in more altered meteorites, suggesting the creation/modification of IOM-like nanoglobules during parent-body processing. However, 15N-rich nanoglobules, including many with highly aromatic functional chemistry, likely reflect preaccretionary isotopic fractionation in cold molecular cloud or protostellar environments. These data indicate that no single formation mechanism can explain all of the observed characteristics of nanoglobules, and their properties are likely a result of multiple processes occurring in a variety of environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report results of an interdisciplinary project devoted to the 26 km-diameter Ries crater and to the genesis of suevite. Recent laboratory analyses of 'crater suevite' occurring within the central crater basin and of 'outer suevite' on top of the continuous ejecta blanket, as well as data accumulated during the past 50 years, are interpreted within the boundary conditions imposed by a comprehensive new effort to model the crater formation and its ejecta deposits by computer code calculations (Artemieva et al. 2013). The properties of suevite are considered on all scales from megascopic to submicroscopic in the context of its geological setting. In a new approach, we reconstruct the minimum/maximum volumes of all allochthonous impact formations (108/116 km3), of suevite (14/22 km3), and the total volume of impact melt (4.9/8.0 km3) produced by the Ries impact event prior to erosion. These volumes are reasonably compatible with corresponding values obtained by numerical modeling. Taking all data on modal composition, texture, chemistry, and shock metamorphism of suevite, and the results of modeling into account, we arrive at a new empirical model implying five main consecutive phases of crater formation and ejecta emplacement. Numerical modeling indicates that only a very small fraction of suevite can be derived from the 'primary ejecta plume,' which is possibly represented by the fine-grained basal layer of outer suevite. The main mass of suevite was deposited from a 'secondary plume' induced by an explosive reaction ('fuel-coolant interaction') of impact melt with water and volatile-rich sedimentary rocks within a clast-laden temporary melt pool. Both melt pool and plume appear to be heterogeneous in space and time. Outer suevite appears to be derived from an early formed, melt-rich and clast-poor plume region rich in strongly shocked components (melt ≫ clasts) and originating from an upper, more marginal zone of the melt pool. Crater suevite is obviously deposited from later formed, clast-rich and melt-poor plumes dominated by unshocked and weakly shocked clasts and derived from a deeper, central zone of the melt pool. Genetically, we distinguish between 'primary suevite' which includes dike suevite, the lower sublayer of crater suevite, and possibly a basal layer of outer suevite, and 'secondary suevite' represented by the massive upper sublayer of crater suevite and the main mass of outer suevite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the results of numerical modeling of the formation of the Ries crater utilizing the two hydrocodes SOVA and iSALE. These standard models allow us to reproduce crater shape, size, and morphology, and composition and extension of the continuous ejecta blanket. Some of these results cannot, however, be readily reconciled with observations: the impact plume above the crater consists mainly of molten and vaporized sedimentary rocks, containing very little material in comparison with the ejecta curtain; at the end of the modification stage, the crater floor is covered by a thick layer of impact melt with a total volume of 6-11 km3; the thickness of true fallback material from the plume inside the crater does not exceed a couple of meters; ejecta from all stratigraphic units of the target are transported ballistically; no separation of sedimentary and crystalline rocks-as observed between suevites and Bunte Breccia at Ries-is noted. We also present numerical results quantifying the existing geological hypotheses of Ries ejecta emplacement from an impact plume, by melt flow, or by a pyroclastic density current. The results show that none of these mechanisms is consistent with physical constraints and/or observations. Finally, we suggest a new hypothesis of suevite formation and emplacement by postimpact interaction of hot impact melt with water or volatile-rich sedimentary rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

- Stable hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen isotopic ratios (δD, δ13C, and δ15N) of organic compounds can reveal information about their origin and formation pathways. Several formation mechanisms and environments have been postulated for the amino acids detected in carbonaceous chondrites. As each proposed mechanism utilizes different precursor molecules, the isotopic signatures of the resulting amino acids may indicate the most likely of these pathways. We have applied gas chromatography with mass spectrometry and combustion isotope ratio mass spectrometry to measure the compound-specific C, N, and H stable isotopic ratios of amino acids from seven CM and CR carbonaceous chondrites: CM1/2 Allan Hills (ALH) 83100, CM2 Murchison, CM2 Lewis Cliff (LEW) 90500, CM2 Lonewolf Nunataks (LON) 94101, CR2 Graves Nunataks (GRA) 95229, CR2 Elephant Moraine (EET) 92042, and CR3 Queen Alexandra Range (QUE) 99177. We compare the isotopic compositions of amino acids in these meteorites with predictions of expected isotopic enrichments from potential formation pathways. We observe trends of decreasing δ13C and increasing δD with increasing carbon number in the α-H, α-NH2 amino acids that correspond to predictions made for formation via Strecker-cyanohydrin synthesis. We also observe light δ13C signatures for β-alanine, which may indicate either formation via Michael addition or via a pathway that forms primarily small, straight-chain, amine-terminal amino acids ( n-ω-amino acids). Higher deuterium enrichments are observed in α-methyl amino acids, indicating formation of these amino acids or their precursors in cold interstellar or nebular environments. Finally, individual amino acids are more enriched in deuterium in CR chondrites than in CM chondrites, reflecting different parent-body chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

- The 1.4-1.6 km thick Onaping Formation consists of a complex series of breccias and 'melt bodies' lying above the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC) at the Sudbury impact structure. Based on the presence of shocked lithic clasts and various 'glassy' phases, the Onaping has been described as a 'suevitic' breccia, with an origin, at least in part, as fallback material. Recent mapping and a redefined stratigraphy have emphasized similarities and differences in its various vitric phases, both as clast types and discrete intrusive bodies. The nature of the Onaping and that of other 'suevitic' breccias overlying impact melt sheets is reviewed. The relative thickness, internal stratigraphic and lithological character, and the relative chronology of depositional units indicate multiple processes were involved over some time in the formation of the Onaping. The Sudbury structure formed in a foreland basin and water played an essential role in the evolution of the Onaping, as indicated by a major hydrothermal system generated during its formation. Taken together, observations and interpretations of the Onaping suggest a working hypothesis for the origin of the Onaping that includes not only impact but also the interaction of sea water with the impact melt, resulting in repeated explosive interactions involving proto-SIC materials and mixing with pre-existing lithologies. This is complicated by additional brecciation events due to the intrusion of proto-SIC materials into the evolving and thickening Onaping. Fragmentation mechanisms changed as the system evolved and involved vesiculation in the formation of the upper two-thirds of the Onaping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]