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The Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory, a unit of the Department of Space, said three recently discovered craters on Mars have been named after its former director Devendra Lal, a renowned cosmic ray physicist, and the towns of Mursan and Hilsa in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar respectively.
Though the discovery was made by PRL scientists in 2021, the naming was approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) earlier this month, the Physical Research Laboratory said.
The three craters are located in the Tharsis volcanic region – a vast volcanic plateau concentrated near the equator in the Red Planet’s western hemisphere. The region is known to be home to the solar system’s largest volcanoes, PRL said.
Anil Bhardwaj, director of the Ahmedabad-based research lab, said, “On the recommendation of PRL, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature on June 5, 2024 approved naming three craters on Mars as “Lal” crater, “Mursan” crater and “Hilsa” crater, named after former PRL director Devendra Lal, and two cities in UP and Bihar, respectively.”
Red Crater: It is a crater about 65 km wide, with an epicentre at -20.98° and latitude 209.34°. It is named after renowned Indian geophysicist and former director of PRL, Prof. Devendra Lal. He was the director of PRL during 1972-1983.
Mursan CraterIt is a 10 kilometer wide crater and is located on the eastern edge of the Red Crater basin. It is named after a city in Uttar Pradesh, India.
Hilsa Crater: This is also a 10 kilometer wide crater and is located on the western edge of the rim of the Red Crater. It is named after a city in Bihar, India.
Scientific significance
This discovery provides strong evidence that water has delivered large amounts of sediment to the crater now named “Red Crater”. The discovery also confirms that Mars was once wet and water flowed on the surface. Two smaller craters on either side of Red Crater, named Mursan and Hilsa, provide a timeline of the filling process of Red Crater and suggest that the filling has been episodic, the statement said.
“The entire area of Red Crater in the Tharsis volcanic region of Mars is covered by lava. There is geophysical evidence of material other than lava in this crater, including a 45-metre thick sedimentary deposit beneath the surface of the crater, obtained using the SHARAD/MRO radar below the surface,” PRL said.
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Published: June 13, 2024, 06:15 PM IST
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