Bacolor (crater) explained

Titlecolor:
  1. FA8072
Bacolor
Coordinate Title:Coordinates
Globe:Mars
Coordinates:33°N -241.4°W
Diameter:20.8 km
Eponym:Bacolor, Pampanga, Philippines

Bacolor is a crater in the Casius quadrangle of Mars, located at 33 North and 241.4 West. 20.8km (12.9miles) in diameter, it is named after the municipality of Bacolor in Pampanga, Philippines.[1]

The crater shows a double layer of ejecta. The inner layer came first. The impact's heat vaporized the ground and of course any ice where the meteorite struck. Shock waves spread outward from the impact point, smashing rocks and heaving the fragments skyward, along with steam and other hot gases. As the shock wave dug deeper, it excavated a bowl-shaped hole in the ground. A thick, probably hot, slurry of mud, water vapor, and rock fragments flew away from the growing cavity and fell to the ground, making the inner ejecta apron. The innermost portion of this layer covered the ground thickly and, near the crater rim, shows numerous signs of having flowed at least sluggishly.[2]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Planetary Names: Crater, craters: Bacolor on Mars.
  2. Web site: Bacolor Crater: Icy Impact in Utopia | Mars Odyssey Mission THEMIS .