Neukum (Martian crater)

Neukum
Viking Orbiter 1 image with Neukum in lower right
PlanetMars
RegionNoachis quadrangle
Coordinates44°54′S 28°24′W / 44.9°S 28.4°W / -44.9; -28.4
QuadrangleArgyre
Diameter102 km (63 mi)
EponymGerhard Neukum

Neukum is an impact crater on Mars. The crater was named after German planetary scientist Gerhard Neukum, by the IAU in 2017.[1]

The crater floor has two large, irregularly shaped pits, and these occur regionally in and between other nearby craters. The crater itself is believed to be at least 3.5 to 3.7 Ga in age, with various younger ages for surficial deposits including a prominent dune field of basaltic material.[2]

Views from Mars Express

Gerhard Neukum, after which this crater is named, was instrumental in development of the ESA's Mars Express orbiter.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Neukum". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. NASA. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  2. ↑ Absolute Model Ages and Stratigraphy of Neukum Crater Geologic Units, 2018, H. Hiesinger et al. 49th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2018 (LPI Contrib. No. 2083).
  3. ↑ Gerhard Neukum 1944-2014, biographical note at American Astronomical Society