Cerulli is a crater in the

Ismenius Lacus quadrangle The Ismenius Lacus quadrangle is one of a series of 30 quadrangle maps of Mars used by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Astrogeology Research Program. The quadrangle is located in the northwestern portion of Mars’ eastern hemisphere ...

on Mars with a diameter of 130 km. It lies in the northern hemisphere south of the very large crater Lyot. It is named after

Vincenzo Cerulli Vincenzo Cerulli (20 April 1859 – 30 May 1927) was an Italian astronomer and founder of the Collurania-Teramo Observatory in Teramo, central Italy, where he was born. He earned a degree in physics from the Sapienza University of Rome in 1881 ...

, an Italian astronomer (1859–1927). 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. Sometimes, craters expose layers that were buried. Cerulli shows evidence of glacial activity in the past. The density of impact craters is used to determine the surface ages of Mars and other solar system bodies. The older the surface, the more craters present. Crater shapes can reveal the presence of ground ice. The area around craters may be rich in minerals. On Mars, heat from the impact melts ice in the ground. Water from the melting ice dissolves minerals, and then deposits them in cracks or faults that were produced with the impact. This process, called hydrothermal alteration, is a major way in which ore deposits are produced. The area around Martian craters may be rich in useful ores for the future colonization of Mars.

Gallery

File:Wikicerulli.jpg, West side of Cerulli crater, as seen by CTX camera on MRO. File:Wikicerulliglacier.jpg, Remains of ancient glacier on western wall of Cerulli crater, as seen by CTX camera. Note: this is an enlargement of previous image. File:Wikicerullieast.jpg, East side of Cerulli crater, as seen by CTX camera. File:Wikicerullibrain.jpg, Unnamed crater north of Cerulli, as seen by CTX camera. Floor is covered in "

brain terrain Brain terrain, also called knobs-brain coral and brain coral terrain, is a feature of the Martian surface, consisting of complex ridges found on lobate debris aprons, lineated valley fill and concentric crater fill. It is so named because it sugges ...

." Arrows point to ring mold craters. Note: this is an enlargement of previous image. File:Cerulli Crater Ejecta Valleys.JPG, Valleys on the ejecta blanket of Cerulli, 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 ...

. File:Cerulli Crater Channels.jpg, Cerulli crater channels, as seen by

THEMIS In Greek mythology and religion, Themis (; grc, Θέμις, Themis, justice, law, custom) is one of the twelve Titan children of Gaia and Uranus, and the second wife of Zeus. She is the goddess and personification of justice, divine order, fai ...

. Channels are on the inner north rim of the crater. File:Cerulli Crater.jpg, Cerulli crater, as seen by HiRISE. File:Cerulli crater topo redmapper.jpg, This topographic map was created using Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) technology on the

Mars Global Surveyor ''Mars Global Surveyor'' (MGS) was an American robotic space probe developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched November 1996. MGS was a global mapping mission that examined the entire planet, from the ionosphere down through t ...

spacecraft.

References

{{Portal bar, Solar System Impact craters on Mars Ismenius Lacus quadrangle

Gallery

See also

References