Kufra (crater)

Kufra Crater is a crater in the Cebrenia quadrangle of Mars, located at 40.7° North and 239.77° West. It is 37.5 km in diameter and was named after a town in Libya.^[1] Gullies are visible on its wall. Martian gullies are small, incised networks of narrow channels and their associated downslope sediment deposits, found on the planet of Mars. They are named for their resemblance to terrestrial gullies. First discovered on images from Mars Global Surveyor, they occur on steep slopes, especially on the walls of craters. Usually, each gully has a dendritic alcove at its head, a fan-shaped apron at its base, and a single thread of incised channel linking the two, giving the whole gully an hourglass shape.^[2] They are believed to be relatively young because they have few, if any craters. A subclass of gullies is also found cut into the faces of sand dunes which themselves considered to be quite young. On the basis of their form, aspects, positions, and location amongst and apparent interaction with features thought to be rich in water ice, many researchers believed that the processes carving the gullies involve liquid water. However, this remains a topic of active research. As soon as gullies were discovered,^[2] researchers began to image many gullies over and over, looking for possible changes. By 2006, some changes were found.^[3] Later, with further analysis it was determined that the changes could have occurred by dry granular flows rather than being driven by flowing water.^[4][5][6] With continued observations many more changes were found in Gasa Crater and others.^[7] With more repeated observations, more and more changes have been found; since the changes occur in the winter and spring, experts are tending to believe that gullies were formed from dry ice. Before-and-after images demonstrated the timing of this activity coincided with seasonal carbon-dioxide frost and temperatures that would not have allowed for liquid water. When dry ice frost changes to a gas, it may lubricate dry material to flow especially on steep slopes.^[8][9][10] In some years frost, perhaps as thick as 1 meter,

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  Kufra Crater, as seen by CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter). Arrows indicate old glaciers.
• 
  Kufra Crater, as seen by CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter). Arrows indicate old glaciers. Note: this is an enlargement of a previous photo.
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  Kufra Crater showing gullies, as seen by CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Note: this is an enlargement of a previous photo.

Why are Craters important?

The density of impact craters is used to determine the surface ages of Mars and other solar system bodies.^[11] 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.^[12]

See also

References