Lyot (Martian crater)

Lyot

Shaded relief topographic map of Lyot
Planet	Mars
Region	Ismenius Lacus quadrangle
Coordinates	50°48′N 330°42′W / 50.8°N 330.7°W / 50.8; -330.7
Quadrangle	Ismenius Lacus
Diameter	236 km (147 mi)
Eponym	Bernard Lyot, French astronomer (1897–1952)

Lyot is a large peak ring crater in the Vastitas Borealis region of Mars, located at 50.8° north latitude and 330.7° west longitude within the Ismenius Lacus quadrangle. It is 236 km in diameter. Its name refers to Bernard Lyot, a French astronomer (1897–1952).^[1]

Lyot crater, featuring a central peak in the middle, stands out on the flat plains of Vastitas Borealis, which is generally flat and smooth with few large craters.^[2] Lyot is the deepest point in the northern hemisphere of Mars.^[3] To the south are the Deuteronilus Mensae, and further to the southeast are Protonilus Mensae. To the west is the smaller Micoud crater, and to the east-southeast is Moreux crater.

Research published in 2009 describes evidence for liquid water in Lyot in the past.^[4]

Many channels have been found near Lyot Crater. Research, published in 2017, concluded that the channels were made from water released when the hot ejecta landed on a layer of ice that was 20 to 300 meters thick. Calculations suggest that the ejecta would have had a temperature of at least 250 °F (121 °C). The valleys seem to start from beneath the ejecta near the outer edge of the ejecta. One evidence for this idea is that there are few secondary craters nearby. Few secondary craters were formed because most landed on ice and did not affect the ground below. The ice accumulated in the area when the climate was different. The tilt or obliquity of the axis changes frequently. During periods of greater tilt, ice from the poles is redistributed to the mid-latitudes. The existence of these channels is unusual because although Mars used to have water in rivers, lakes, and an ocean, these features have been dated to the Noachian and Hesperian periods—4 to 3 billion years ago.^[5][6][7]