I gotcher extinction event RIGHT HERE, buddy.

[unixronin]

New data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Global Surveyor are strong evidence that the Borealis basin on Mars, long believed to be of volcanic origin, is in fact the largest known impact structure in the solar system.

We're talking an impact structure 5300 miles in diameter, left by an impactor estimated at 1200 miles diameter.  Holy CRAP, that had to have been one hell of a bang.  I'm not even going to attempt to calculate the approximate equivalent yield.

According to the NASA article, it covers about 40% of the surface of Mars.

Comments

[ithildae.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I just can't wrap my mind around an impact crater that size. It is just so much numerical gibberish to me. An object with a diameter that it would take me almost an entire day to drive across just snaps my understanding filter and becomes a math problem. That is just incredible.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

I've driven 1400 miles in a day ... once. When I was a lot younger, and was driving a 375HP hot-rod Camaro SS350, cruising close to 100mph most of the distance. It was still a long haul, and I was glad to find an open motel and stop.

(I'd planned to stop that night in Rapid City, SD, after leaving Des Moines that morning. Turned out there was a church convention in town. I didn't find a motel with a vacancy sign lit until I hit Gillette, Wyoming.)

[mrmeval.livejournal.com]

I bet the martians were PISSED at that one. Better we leave no rather than have the wrath of their angry spirits plague us!!!


Ok I clicked a bad click....

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

So that's what put the bug up Marvin the Martian's ass....

[ithildae.livejournal.com]

I didn't think he was upset.

[wyrdling.livejournal.com]

cool. glad they've found some decent data on that. thanks for posting ;)

i want the gravity pictures now. the article didn't post any of that. i imagine they must be up somewhere....

Now that I'm ... sober

[mrmeval.livejournal.com]

Taking what is provided and using reasonable WAGs for the rest:

TNT equivalent
198197519442761470 kilotons
198197519442.76147 megatons
198197519.44276147 gigatons

Joules
8.292584213485139905e+26 joules
829258421348513990.5 gigajoules

6378910934.974703922 gallons of gasoline.

Re: Now that I'm ... sober

[mrmeval.livejournal.com]

That will run our planet at it's current energy consumption for 482 years.

Re: Now that I'm ... sober

[house-pundit.livejournal.com]

Hard fro me to see all those digits.

1.98 x E11 megatons

Re: Now that I'm ... sober

[mrmeval.livejournal.com]

I was being lazy. The calculator did show it with scientific notation but would paste out all the digits.

The gasoline figure is easy.

6.38 gigagallons. ;)

[radarrider.livejournal.com]

The first thing that came to mind when I read that is that it may be the origin of Phobos and/or Deimos.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

You're thinking they formed from ejecta? You may be onto something there. With an impact that big, it's a distinct possibility. After all, a preliminary ballpark suggests the total ejecta amounts to a hundred meters' depth or more over almost half the planetary surface. Odd are good a fair amount of that made it to orbit or better.

[olafthunderfoot.livejournal.com]

i didn't do it!