Bernard is a large crater in the

Memnonia quadrangle The Memnonia quadrangle is one of a series of 30 quadrangle maps of Mars used by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Astrogeology Research Program. The Memnonia quadrangle is also referred to as MC-16 (Mars Chart-16). The quadrangle is ...

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

, located at 23.4° south latitude and 154.2° west longitude. It is 128 km in diameter and was named after P. Bernard, a French atmospheric scientist. The floor of the crater contains large cracks, which may be due to erosion. Impact craters generally have a rim with ejecta around them, in contrast volcanic craters usually do not have a rim or ejecta deposits. As craters get larger (greater than 10 km in diameter) they usually have a central peak. The peak is caused by a rebound of the crater floor following the impact. If one measures the diameter of a crater, the original depth can be estimated with various ratios. Because of this relationship, researchers have found that many Martian craters contain a great deal of material; much of it is believed to be ice deposited when the climate was different.Garvin, J., et al. 2002. Global geometric properities of martian impact craters. Lunar Planet Sci. 33. Abstract @1255. Sometimes craters expose layers that were buried. Rocks from deep underground are tossed onto the surface. Hence, craters can show us what lies deep under the surface. 52438cameramap.jpg, Map showing the relative positions of Bernard Crater and other nearby craters in

Wikibernard.jpg, West side of Bernard Crater, as seen by CTX camera (on

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter ''Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter'' (MRO) is a spacecraft designed to study the geology and climate of Mars, provide reconnaissance of future landing sites, and relay data from surface missions back to Earth. It was launched on August 12, 2005, an ...

). Wikibernardclose.jpg, Close-up of part of floor of Bernard Crater, as seen by CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter). Wikibernarddevils.jpg, Close-up of part of floor of Bernard Crater showing troughs and

dust devil tracks Martian dust devils (dust devils on Mars) were first photographed by the Viking orbiters in the 1970s. In 1997, the Mars Pathfinder lander detected a dust devil passing over it. In the first image below, photographed by the Mars Global Surveyor, ...

, as seen by CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter). Image:Bernard Crater Floor.JPG, Bernard Crater Floor, as seen by

HiRISE High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is a camera on board the '' Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter'' which has been orbiting and studying Mars since 2006. The 65 kg (143 lb), US$40 million instrument was built under the direction ...

. Large cracks are visible on floor. ESP 035163 1560memnoniafractures.jpg, Troughs on the floor of Bernard Crater showing many boulders, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program ESP 034596 1565memnoniafractures.jpg, Troughs on the floor of Bernard Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program

References

{{Portal bar, Solar System Memnonia quadrangle Impact craters on Mars

See also

References