Mars 'asteroid showers' have stayed steady over 600 million years

[Admin]

We might have to rethink the pace of Red Planet crater formation.

Mars 'asteroid showers' have stayed steady over 600 million years : Read more

 

[rod]

"Fresh analysis of craters on Mars suggests that asteroids have been smashing into the surface at a consistent rate for at least 600 million years."

This is an interesting report. The reference paper, Has the impact flux of small and large asteroids varied through time on Mars, the Earth and the Moon?, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X2100618X?via=ihub, 01-Feb-2022. “Highlights • Semi-automatic dating of 521 impact craters on Mars. • Statistical assessment of the lunar and terrestrial cratering rate. • Plate tectonic reconstruction of the formation location of terrestrial craters. • Coupling between the impact flux of small and large impactors. • The impact flux is constant over the last 600 Ma in the inner Solar System.”

I note this from the paper, “Abstract The impact flux over the last 3 Ga in the inner Solar System is commonly assumed to be constant through time due to insufficient data to warrant a different choice for this range of time. However, asteroid break-up events in the main belt may have been responsible for cratering spikes over the last ∼2 Ga on the Earth-Moon system."

Other reports indicate for the time near 3 Gyr, the impact rates could be 10x higher too, extending well into the Precambrian, 2.5 Gyr ages. https://forums.space.com/threads/asteroids-and-comets-pummeling-earth-delayed-rise-of-oxygen.49263/

This opens the door to intense catastrophism operating on Earth, during Precambrian.

 

[TacovilleMC]

Could this also challenge the idea of mars previously hosting life on a major scale? Because the life would require an atmosphere, and mars having a large/thick enough atmosphere to support life would cause the asteroids to burn up before they could impact (correct me if I'm wrong).

 

[rod]

Could this also challenge the idea of mars previously hosting life on a major scale? Because the life would require an atmosphere, and mars having a large/thick enough atmosphere to support life would cause the asteroids to burn up before they could impact (correct me if I'm wrong).

My answer, based upon the model of impactors, etc. I would think yes. Other issues arise too like the Faint Young Sun Paradox, https://forums.space.com/threads/luminosity-of-the-sun-over-the-ages.53699/#post-563744

When I ponder issues like this, I see reports of microorganisms flourishing on earth dated 4.28 billion years ago. Other reports now indicate the Moon had a magma ocean that started perhaps 4.48 billion years ago, still hot when life on earth was flourishing, and then add in more asteroid/meteor bombardments along with the Faint Young Sun. Quite a mix for catastrophism all over for the little critters said to be *evolving* on earth and flourishing