Scientists suggested that about 3.4 billion years ago, Mars was hit by an asteroid similar to the one that hit Earth a little over 60 million years ago. It is believed that it hit the red planet in a shallow ocean region, causing a so-called megatsunami.
Image Credit: WR Studios via Shutterstock / HDR tune by Universal-Sci
Pohl crater
A group of scientists has discovered an enormous crater with a diameter of about 110 kilometers where the massive space rock hit the Martian surface. It is believed that a shallow ocean existed there at the time.
Where did all the water from Mars' surface go? - (Universal-Sci)
Using rocks near the crater, which has been named Pohl, the research team calculated that the impact occurred about 3.4 billion years ago. In order to determine the size of the asteroid, the team simulated comet and asteroid collisions within this region.
What is the difference between comets, meteoroids, and asteroids - (Universal-Sci)
Simulations that resulted in craters with similar dimensions to the Phol crater were made by a 3-kilometer asteroid (releasing the equivalent energy of 500,000 megatons of TNT) while encountering little ground resistance or a 9-kilometer asteroid at the upper end (releasing the equivalent energy of 13,000,000 megatons of TNT), encountering strong ground resistance.
To put these numbers in perspective, the largest nuclear bomb ever tested on Earth (the Tsar Bomba) released the equivalent energy of 57 megatons of TNT.
Martian megatsunami
Both simulated impacts created craters with a diameter of about 110 kilometers, and both caused megatsunamis that would have reached as far as 1500 kilometers away from the center of the impact site. Assessment of the megatsunami created by the three-kilometer asteroid impact showed that this tsunami would have measured about 250 meters tall on land.
To put this Martian megatsunami in an Earthly perspective, the asteroid linked to the extinction of dinosaurs, creating the Chicxulub crater in Yucatán about 66 million years ago, would have caused a megatsunami of about 200 meters tall as well. The resulting Chicxulub crater has a diameter of about 100 kilometers which is also similar to the impact crater found on mars.
A gorgeous painting by Donald E. Davis, depicting the Chicxulub impact on Earth - (Image Credit: Donald E. Davis via Wikimedia Commons)
The researchers published their findings in the peer-reviewed science journal Scientific Reports. As always, we listed below for those interested in a more detailed look into the study.
Sources and further reading:
Evidence of an oceanic impact and megatsunami sedimentation in Chryse Planitia, Mars (Scientific Reports)
Where did the water from Mars' ancient rivers and lakes go? (Universal-Sci)
Why building Mars habitats from fungi instead of metal is a brilliant idea (Universal-Sci)
What is the difference between comets, meteoroids and asteroids? (Universal-Sci)
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