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06:04
Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory
Published on: November 15, 2013
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Widespread impact-generated porosity in early planetary crusts
Sean E Wiggins1, Brandon C Johnson2,3, Gareth S Collins4
1Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA. wigginss@purdue.edu.
Nature Communications
|August 16, 2022
Summary
Large impacts on planetary bodies like the Moon create deep crustal porosity. These ancient impacts could have facilitated subsurface fluid circulation, impacting early habitability on Earth and Mars.
Area of Science:
- Planetary Science
- Geophysics
- Impact Cratering
Background:
- NASA's GRAIL mission revealed significant deep crustal porosity on the Moon (~4% at 20 km depth).
- Existing models struggle to explain this deep porosity, typically accounting only for surface or complex crater-related porosity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of large impacts in generating deep crustal porosity on terrestrial planets.
- To determine if basin-forming impacts can explain the observed porosity in the lunar crust.
Main Methods:
- Utilized hydrocode simulations to model fracturing and porosity generation from large impacts.
- Simulated impacts on lunar, Martian, and Earth crustal models.
Main Results:
- Impacts forming 100-1000 km scale basins are sufficient to generate all observed lunar crustal porosity.
- Simulations on Mars and Earth indicate basin impacts are a primary source of crustal porosity and fracturing in ancient planetary crusts.
Conclusions:
- Large-scale impacts are a key mechanism for creating deep crustal porosity on terrestrial planets.
- Impact-induced porosity likely supported widespread crustal fluid circulation, with implications for early subsurface habitability on Earth and Mars.
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