The surface features of the northern and southern hemispheres of Mars are very different. In this topographic map, the northern hemisphere (shown in blue) is mostly smooth lowlands and has experienced extensive volcanism. The southern hemisphere (in orange) has an older, cratered highland surface. This dichotomy could have been caused by a giant impact. Credit: University of Arizona/LPL/SwRI
New research has revealed that a giant impact on Mars more than 4 billion years ago would explain the unusual amount of “iron loving” elements in the Red Planet. Planets form as small dust grains stick together and agglomerate with other grains, leading to bigger bodies termed “planetesimals...
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