Janssen (Martian crater)

This article is about the crater on Mars. For the crater on the Moon, see Janssen (lunar crater).
Janssen Crater
Location of Janssen Crater
PlanetMars
RegionArabia quadrangle
Coordinates2°42′N 37°36′E / 2.7°N 37.6°E / 2.7; 37.6
QuadrangleArabia
Diameter154 km
EponymPierre Janssen
Eastern edge of Janssen Crater, as seen by CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter).
Layers and dark slope streaks in northeastern edge of Janssen Crater, as seen by CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter). Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image of Janssen Crater.

Janssen Crater is an impact crater in the Arabia quadrangle on Mars at 2.7° N and 322.4° W. and is 154 km in diameter. Its name was approved in 1973, and refers to French astronomer Pierre Janssen.[1] Some close up images of the crater reveal layers in a floor deposit. A picture below show these layers, as well as dark slope streaks. The darker the streak, the younger it is. The layers on the floor of Janssen may have been formed on the bottom of lakes.[2][3][4]

  1. ^ "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature | Janssen". usgs.gov. International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  2. ^ Cabrol, N. and E. Grin. 2001. The Evolution of Lacustrine Environments on Mars: Is Mars Only Hydrologically Dormant? Icarus: 149, 291-328.
  3. ^ Fassett, C. and J. Head. 2008. Open-basin lakes on Mars: Distribution and implications for Noachian surface and subsurface hydrology. Icarus: 198, 37-56.
  4. ^ Fassett, C. and J. Head. 2008. Open-basin lakes on Mars: Implications of valley network lakes for the nature of Noachian hydrology.