Summary: LETTERS
Implications of an impact origin for the martian
hemispheric dichotomy
F. Nimmo1
, S. D. Hart1
, D. G. Korycansky1
& C. B. Agnor2
The observation that one hemisphere of Mars is lower and has a
thinner crust than the other (the `martian hemispheric
dichotomy')1­3
has been a puzzle for 30 years. The dichotomy
may have arisen as a result of internal mechanisms such as con-
vection4,5
. Alternatively, it may have been caused by one6
or sev-
eral7
giant impacts, but quantitative tests of the impact hypothesis
have not been published. Here we use a high-resolution, two-
dimensional, axially symmetric hydrocode8,9
to model vertical

Source: Agnor, Craig B. - Astronomy Unit, School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London
Nimmo, Francis - Department of Earth Sciences, University of California at Santa Cruz

Collections: Geosciences; Physics