Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Laboratory Drop Towers for the Experimental Simulation of Dust-aggregate Collisions in the Early Solar System
Published on: June 5, 2014
Impact erosion of the primordial atmosphere of Mars
1Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson 85721, USA.
Abstract:
Abundant geomorphic evidence for fluvial processes on the surface of Mars suggests that during the era of heavy bombardment, Mars's atmospheric pressure was high enough for liquid water to flow on the surface. Many authors have proposed mechanisms by which Mars could have lost (or sequestered) an earlier, thicker atmosphere but none of these proposals has gained general acceptance. Here we examine the process of atmospheric erosion by impacts and show that it may account for an early episode of atmosphere loss from Mars. On the basis of this model, the primordial atmospheric pressure on Mars must have been in the vicinity of 1 bar, barring other sources or sinks of CO2. Current impact fluxes are too small to erode significantly the present martian atmosphere.
More Related Videos
07:47Experimental Protocol to Investigate Particle Aerosolization of a Product Under Abrasion and Under Environmental Weathering
Published on: September 16, 2016
07:54Experimental Methods of Dust Charging and Mobilization on Surfaces with Exposure to Ultraviolet Radiation or Plasmas
Published on: April 3, 2018
Related Concept Videos
The Carbon Cycle
Conditions on Early Earth
Conditions on Early Earth
Impact
When particles with different initial velocities collide, they induce deformation by applying equal and opposite impulses. At the point of maximum deformation, the particles move together with...
Origin of Cellular Life
Origin of Photosynthesis