Impact events on Mars

*Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter* image of a newly-formed Martian impact crater at Solis Planum in 2013. This crater spans 30 meters (98 ft) in diameter and is surrounded by dark ejecta rays extending up to 15 kilometers (9.3 mi).

In modern times, numerous impact events on Mars have been detected. Although most have been inferred from the appearance of new impact craters on the planet, some have corresponded to marsquakes felt by the InSight lander.^[1] To date, no impacting meteors have been directly observed as a fireball or discovered in space before impact.

Overview

As the best-explored planet in the Solar System (after Earth), Mars has been continuously explored by various spacecraft, landers, and rovers since 1997. The first probe to image Mars's surface in detail was Mariner 4 in 1965, and Mariner 9 became the first probe to orbit Mars in 1971. However, few early probes were able to image Mars in high enough resolution to detect new impact craters, which are typically less than 10 meters (33 ft) across.^[2] Early probes reached resolutions of 790 meters (2,590 ft), while Mariner 9 was able to reach 98 meters (322 ft).^[3] From 1976 to 1982, Viking 1 and Viking 2 imaged all of Mars at 150 meters (490 ft) resolution, with some areas imaged in up to 8 meters (26 ft) resolution.^[4]

The Mars Global Surveyor, active from 1997 to 2006, was the first spacecraft able to image Mars in high enough resolution to detect new impacts, with a resolution of up to 1.5 meters (4.9 ft). The first detected impact, a 14.4-meter (47 ft)-diameter crater in southern Lucus Planum, happened between 27 January 2000, and 19 March 2001.^[2] Since then, over 1,200 new impact craters have been found on Mars with 2001 Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, over 1,100 of which were found by the last.^[2]

Unlike on Earth, most impact craters on Mars come in clusters, caused by the meteor partially fragmenting before impact.^[5] Due to Mars's tenuous atmosphere, with just 0.6% the surface pressure of Earth's, incoming meteors are much less prone to breaking up.^[6] while a 10-meter (33 ft) asteroid falling over Earth is unlikely to reach the surface intact before being destroyed in a meteor air burst,^[7] a 10-meter (33 ft) asteroid falling over Mars may leave a crater over 100 meters (330 ft) across,^[8] or several smaller craters tens of meters across.^[9]

There is significant observation bias in the locations of discovered impact craters: certain locations on Mars are of much more geological interest, and so are imaged more frequently and in detail than less notable ones.^[5] Additionally, many new craters are first noticed by their 'blast zone' of ejecta, which can be 10-100 times the size of the crater itself.^[5] However, only certain regions of Mars have subsurface material that can be ejected to create these features; in particular, the Tharsis rise, Olympus Mons, Elysium Mons, and Arabia Terra. As a result, very few impacts have been detected outside of these regions, despite impacts in theory happening randomly across the planet.^[5]

Despite these biases, the existing observations of new Martian impacts suggest that asteroids of a given size impacting the planet are about 3 times more common than on Earth and the Moon,^[10] with roughly 240 4-meter (13 ft) craters and one to seven 30-meter (98 ft) craters forming each year^[11] (compared to the observed ~0.8). Larger impactors also seem to be more relatively frequent than on Earth or the Moon (i.e. the size-frequency distribution slope is shallower).^[12] If this holds true for larger asteroid sizes, this suggests that Mars may be in a modern impact surge,^[12] although atmospheric deceleration of small asteroids might explain the unexpectedly shallow slope, which would become more consistent with predictions for larger asteroids.^[12]

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Map of detected impacts on Mars. Green are notable <15-meter (49 ft) craters, yellow are 15–20-meter (49–66 ft) craters, orange are 20–50-meter (66–164 ft) craters, red are 50–100-meter (160–330 ft) craters, and purple are >100-meter (330 ft) craters.

List of notable impacts

The following is a list of detected impact events with a crater size of >15 meters, which excludes most meteoroid impacts (<1 meter asteroids). 10-15 meter craters discovered before 2010 are also included, before the rate of discovering such craters became dozens per year.

Date^[2]			Details^[2]				Discovery^[2]		Location^[2]			Notes
Discovery date	Median impact date ^{[note 1]}	Uncertainty (days)	Crater diameter (m)	Impactor diameter (m) ^{[note 2]}^[13]	Impactor mass (tonnes) ^{[note 2]}^[13]	Ice-exposing?	Discovery spacecraft	Reference spacecraft	quadrangle	Region	Coordinates	Notes
2001-03-19	2000-08-22	208	14.4	0.92–2.8	1.2–11	no	MGS	MGS	Memnonia	Lucus Planum	8°47′10″S 182°40′23″E / 8.786°S 182.673°E / -8.786; 182.673
2001-12-05	2000-09-13	447	37.3	2.7–8.0	29–260	no	MGS	MGS	Amazonis	Amazonis Planitia	0°55′59″N 191°44′46″E / 0.933°N 191.746°E / 0.933; 191.746
2002-10-08	2002-02-14	236	19.9	1.3–4.0	3.5–34	no	MGS	MGS	Lunae Palus	Tharsis Rise	4°57′43″N 277°47′20″E / 4.962°N 277.789°E / 4.962; 277.789
2003-04-15	1990-07-29	4643	15.3	0.99–3.0	1.5–14	no	MGS	Viking 1	Amazonis	Olympus Mons	22°48′50″N 219°54′36″E / 22.814°N 219.910°E / 22.814; 219.910
2003-05-07	2002-12-02	155	22.6	1.5–4.6	5.5–50	no	MGS	Odyssey	Arabia	Arabia Terra	20°25′37″N 3°17′42″E / 20.427°N 3.295°E / 20.427; 3.295
2003-07-17	2001-11-12	611	17.5	1.1–3.4	2.3–21	no	MGS	MGS	Phoenicis Lacus	Daedalia Planum	3°36′58″S 234°14′35″E / 3.616°S 234.243°E / -3.616; 234.243
2003-08-20	2001-07-11	770	25.2	1.7–5.1	8.0–72	no	Odyssey	MGS	Amazonis	Tharsis Rise	5°28′08″N 224°21′11″E / 5.469°N 224.353°E / 5.469; 224.353
2003-12-11	2002-08-06	491	24.5	1.7–5.0	7.3–65	no	MGS	MGS	Arabia	Arabia Terra	21°57′29″N 14°36′18″E / 21.958°N 14.605°E / 21.958; 14.605
2004-01-27	2003-11-19	69	12.0	0.75–2.3	0.67–6.0	no	Odyssey	Odyssey	Amazonis	Eumenides Dorsum	1°41′10″N 199°22′55″E / 1.686°N 199.382°E / 1.686; 199.382
2004-02-07	2003-09-12	147	16.8	1.1–3.3	2.1–18	no	Odyssey	MGS	Tharsis	Uranius Mons	27°03′18″N 268°19′55″E / 27.055°N 268.332°E / 27.055; 268.332
2004-04-22	2004-03-07	45	10.6	0.66–2.0	0.44–4.0	no	Odyssey	MGS	Amazonis	Tharsis Rise	5°21′11″N 223°19′26″E / 5.353°N 223.324°E / 5.353; 223.324
2004-05-15	2004-04-19	25	33.5	2.4–7.1	21–180	no	Odyssey	Odyssey	Amazonis	Tharsis Rise	2°28′44″N 224°06′18″E / 2.479°N 224.105°E / 2.479; 224.105
2004-06-25	2003-08-30	299	10.0	0.61–1.8	0.36–3.3	no	Odyssey	Odyssey	Memnonia	Eumenides Dorsum	0°45′18″S 200°03′58″E / 0.755°S 200.066°E / -0.755; 200.066
2005-01-06	2003-11-01	432	58.2	4.3–13	130–1200	no	Odyssey	Odyssey	Mare Acidalium	Arabia Terra	34°40′55″N 352°58′52″E / 34.682°N 352.981°E / 34.682; 352.981
2005-03-21	2002-04-20	1066	36.4	2.6–7.7	27–240	no	MGS	MGS	Lunae Palus	Lunae Planum	5°07′52″N 290°35′28″E / 5.131°N 290.591°E / 5.131; 290.591
2005-04-29	2004-05-01	362	10.7	0.66–2.0	0.46–4.1	no	MGS	MGS	Arabia	Arabia Terra	28°59′24″N 26°55′34″E / 28.990°N 26.926°E / 28.990; 26.926
2005-06-08	2005-04-06	62	53.9	4.0–12	100–900	no	MGS	MGS	Coprates	Tithoniae Fossae	2°21′18″S 278°15′32″E / 2.355°S 278.259°E / -2.355; 278.259
2005-06-13	2003-04-10	795	15.6	1.0–3.0	1.6–14	no	MGS	MGS	Syrtis Major	Terra Sabaea	23°05′13″N 52°52′44″E / 23.087°N 52.879°E / 23.087; 52.879
2005-06-22	2004-07-20	337	10.6	0.66–2.0	0.44–4.0	no	Odyssey	Odyssey	Tharsis	Tharsis Montes	3°23′49″N 253°54′36″E / 3.397°N 253.910°E / 3.397; 253.910
2005-09-07	2005-05-06	123	12.9	0.82–2.5	0.85–7.7	no	Express	Express	Lunae Palus	Lunae Planum	1°05′24″N 284°25′12″E / 1.090°N 284.420°E / 1.090; 284.420
2005-11-26	2004-12-01	359	16.7	1.1–3.3	2.0–18	no	Odyssey	MGS	Arabia	Arabia Terra	26°09′29″N 23°37′41″E / 26.158°N 23.628°E / 26.158; 23.628
2006-01-06	2005-06-10	210	18.6	1.2–3.7	2.9–26	no	MGS	Odyssey	Amazonis	Amazonis Planitia	13°51′04″N 206°34′55″E / 13.851°N 206.582°E / 13.851; 206.582
2006-01-12	2004-09-12	487	20.8	1.4–4.2	4.2–38	no	MGS	MGS	Tharsis	Tharsis Montes	10°22′30″N 250°12′58″E / 10.375°N 250.216°E / 10.375; 250.216
2006-01-31	2006-01-10	20	21.7	1.5–4.4	4.8–43	no	MGS	Odyssey	Syrtis Major	Terra Sabaea	25°36′04″N 52°08′49″E / 25.601°N 52.147°E / 25.601; 52.147
2006-02-07	2005-02-06	366	12.1	0.76–2.3	0.69–6.2	no	Odyssey	Odyssey	Amazonis	Marte Vallis	4°46′16″N 180°08′42″E / 4.771°N 180.145°E / 4.771; 180.145
2006-02-13	2005-12-25	50	10.6	0.66–2.0	0.44–4.0	no	MGS	Odyssey	Amazonis	Amazonis Planitia	19°46′26″N 207°25′30″E / 19.774°N 207.425°E / 19.774; 207.425
2006-02-14	2005-03-28	323	29.3	2.0–6.1	13–120	no	MGS	Odyssey	Phoenicis Lacus	Daedalia Planum	0°01′59″S 226°54′25″E / 0.033°S 226.907°E / -0.033; 226.907
2006-02-21	2006-02-08	12	15.4	0.99–3.0	1.5–14	no	Odyssey	Odyssey	Tharsis	Ceraunius Tholus	24°40′34″N 261°31′19″E / 24.676°N 261.522°E / 24.676; 261.522
2006-02-25	2006-01-10	45	11.0	0.68–2.0	0.50–4.5	no	Express	Express	Phoenicis Lacus	Noctis Labyrinthus	4°22′12″S 264°35′53″E / 4.370°S 264.598°E / -4.370; 264.598
2006-02-26	2005-02-21	370	16.9	1.1–3.3	2.1–19	no	MGS	Odyssey	Lunae Palus	Tharsis Rise	13°42′32″N 275°40′26″E / 13.709°N 275.674°E / 13.709; 275.674
2006-02-26	2005-09-04	174	17.7	1.2–3.5	2.4–22	no	MGS	Express	Arabia	Arabia Terra	28°27′18″N 25°11′46″E / 28.455°N 25.196°E / 28.455; 25.196
2006-02-26	2005-12-07	87	36.8	2.6–7.8	28–250	no	MGS	Odyssey	Tharsis	Tharsis Montes	6°59′20″N 247°54′50″E / 6.989°N 247.914°E / 6.989; 247.914
2006-07-10	2005-04-11	454	11.2	0.70–2.1	0.53–4.8	no	Express	Express	Phoenicis Lacus	Noctis Labyrinthus	4°32′42″S 256°54′50″E / 4.545°S 256.914°E / -4.545; 256.914
2006-07-13	2005-10-30	255	10.8	0.67–2.0	0.47–4.2	no	Express	Odyssey	Elysium	Phlegra Rise	29°29′49″N 155°49′30″E / 29.497°N 155.825°E / 29.497; 155.825
2007-03-27	2004-11-25	851	14.3	0.91–2.7	1.2–11	no	MRO	Odyssey	Lunae Palus	Labeatis Fossae	27°36′47″N 279°31′34″E / 27.613°N 279.526°E / 27.613; 279.526
2007-04-06	2006-01-12	449	13.0	0.82–2.5	0.87–7.9	no	MRO	Odyssey	Margaritifer Sinus	Aureum Chaos	6°03′25″S 334°20′31″E / 6.057°S 334.342°E / -6.057; 334.342
2007-04-14	2006-09-26	199	10.1	0.62–1.9	0.38–3.4	no	MRO	Odyssey	Phoenicis Lacus	Daedalia Planum	3°06′25″S 233°06′18″E / 3.107°S 233.105°E / -3.107; 233.105
2007-10-15	2007-05-30	137	10.3	0.64–1.9	0.40–3.6	no	MRO	MRO	Tharsis	Tharsis Montes	16°36′43″N 246°18′54″E / 16.612°N 246.315°E / 16.612; 246.315
2007-11-27	2006-07-28	487	22.0	1.5–4.4	5.1–45	maybe	MRO	Express	Cebrenia	Galaxias Colles	39°22′23″N 149°22′23″E / 39.373°N 149.373°E / 39.373; 149.373
2007-12-20	2007-07-02	171	16.0	1.0–3.1	1.7–16	no	MRO	MRO	Tharsis	Tharsis Tholus	14°31′26″N 268°51′00″E / 14.524°N 268.850°E / 14.524; 268.850
2008-05-01	2007-02-21	434	36.2	2.6–7.7	27–240	no	MRO	Odyssey	Memnonia	Mangala Valles	7°03′07″S 210°15′47″E / 7.052°S 210.263°E / -7.052; 210.263
2008-05-07	2007-01-07	486	10.3	0.64–1.9	0.40–3.6	no	MRO	Odyssey	Tharsis	Fortuna Fossae	2°23′10″N 266°43′30″E / 2.386°N 266.725°E / 2.386; 266.725
2008-05-09	2006-11-20	536	12.3	0.77–2.3	0.73–6.5	no	MRO	Odyssey	Phoenicis Lacus	Tharsis Montes	1°16′48″S 250°07′12″E / 1.280°S 250.120°E / -1.280; 250.120
2008-06-15	2006-11-14	578	15.0	0.96–2.9	1.4–13	no	MRO	Express	Ismenius Lacus	Arabia Terra	32°44′49″N 37°37′55″E / 32.747°N 37.632°E / 32.747; 37.632
2008-06-28	2006-07-01	728	12.0	0.75–2.3	0.67–6.0	yes	MRO	Odyssey	Diacria	Arcadia Planitia	46°10′44″N 188°29′42″E / 46.179°N 188.495°E / 46.179; 188.495
2008-06-29	2006-10-18	619	11.6	0.72–2.2	0.60–5.4	maybe	MRO	Odyssey	Diacria	Acheron Fossae	40°19′19″N 221°13′19″E / 40.322°N 221.222°E / 40.322; 221.222
2008-11-14	2008-07-22	114	17.5	1.1–3.4	2.3–21	no	Express	Odyssey	Tharsis	Tharsis Montes	5°27′18″N 262°19′05″E / 5.455°N 262.318°E / 5.455; 262.318
2008-12-14	2007-09-03	468	10.1	0.62–1.9	0.38–3.4	no	Odyssey	Express	Tharsis	Ulysses Fossae	14°15′11″N 237°57′43″E / 14.253°N 237.962°E / 14.253; 237.962
2009-01-02	2006-12-13	751	12.4	0.78–2.3	0.75–6.7	no	Odyssey	Express	Tharsis	Rhabon Valles	21°26′31″N 267°13′26″E / 21.442°N 267.224°E / 21.442; 267.224
2009-02-18	2008-01-16	399	11.1	0.69–2.1	0.52–4.6	no	MRO	MRO	Elysium	Marte Vallis	5°32′35″N 177°53′28″E / 5.543°N 177.891°E / 5.543; 177.891
2009-04-07	2007-11-24	499	10.3	0.64–1.9	0.40–3.6	no	MRO	Express	Phoenicis Lacus	Noctis Labyrinthus	6°19′30″S 254°43′01″E / 6.325°S 254.717°E / -6.325; 254.717
2009-05-03	2007-06-30	673	15.0	0.96–2.9	1.4–13	no	MRO	Express	Memnonia	Lucus Planum	5°48′47″S 190°22′16″E / 5.813°S 190.371°E / -5.813; 190.371
2009-05-10	2007-05-17	724	10.1	0.62–1.9	0.38–3.4	no	MRO	Odyssey	Phoenicis Lacus	Daedalia Planum	5°44′02″S 226°24′50″E / 5.734°S 226.414°E / -5.734; 226.414
2009-05-20	2008-03-25	421	36.0	2.6–7.7	26–240	no	MRO	MRO	Phoenicis Lacus	Pavonis Mons	0°37′48″S 248°54′47″E / 0.630°S 248.913°E / -0.630; 248.913
2009-05-22	2008-09-12	252	10.7	0.66–2.0	0.46–4.1	no	MRO	MRO	Tharsis	Gordii Fossae	14°45′36″N 230°06′54″E / 14.760°N 230.115°E / 14.760; 230.115
2009-06-01	2007-06-29	703	16.4	1.1–3.2	1.9–17	no	MRO	Express	Memnonia	Eumenides Dorsum	1°29′46″S 200°37′30″E / 1.496°S 200.625°E / -1.496; 200.625
2009-07-10	2007-12-08	580	21.9	1.5–4.4	5.0–45	no	MRO	Odyssey	Phoenicis Lacus	Noctis Labyrinthus	7°18′07″S 258°08′28″E / 7.302°S 258.141°E / -7.302; 258.141
2009-08-05	2007-05-02	825	10.8	0.67–2.0	0.47–4.2	no	MRO	Odyssey	Memnonia	Daedalia Planum	4°13′08″S 220°33′04″E / 4.219°S 220.551°E / -4.219; 220.551
2009-08-16	2007-12-24	601	23.3	1.6–4.7	6.1–55	no	MRO	Express	Syrtis Major	Arabia Terra	29°26′13″N 49°08′53″E / 29.437°N 49.148°E / 29.437; 49.148
2009-12-24	2009-01-09	349	10.1	0.62–1.9	0.38–3.4	no	MRO	Express	Tharsis	Tharsis Montes	13°14′35″N 260°57′11″E / 13.243°N 260.953°E / 13.243; 260.953
2009-12-28	2007-08-01	880	12.3	0.77–2.3	0.73–6.5	no	MRO	Express	Ismenius Lacus	Arabia Terra	32°17′38″N 28°57′32″E / 32.294°N 28.959°E / 32.294; 28.959
2010-01-18	2007-10-31	809	18.4	1.2–3.6	2.8–25	no	MRO	Express	Sinus Sabaeus	Terra Sabaea	1°19′34″S 30°47′56″E / 1.326°S 30.799°E / -1.326; 30.799
2010-01-21	2007-12-24	758	20.6	1.4–4.1	4.1–36	no	MRO	Express	Phoenicis Lacus	Noctis Fossae	3°47′31″S 264°48′04″E / 3.792°S 264.801°E / -3.792; 264.801
2010-01-24	2009-06-25	227	33.8	2.4–7.1	21–190	yes	MRO	Odyssey	Cebrenia	Phlegra Montes	44°13′19″N 164°12′04″E / 44.222°N 164.201°E / 44.222; 164.201
2010-03-25	2009-03-25	364	20.0	1.3–4.0	3.7–33	yes	MRO	Odyssey	Ismenius Lacus	Vastitas Borealis	63°55′08″N 44°52′41″E / 63.919°N 44.878°E / 63.919; 44.878
2010-08-20	2010-05-31	80	17.4	1.1–3.4	2.3–21	no	MRO	MRO	Cebrenia	Utopia Planitia	41°01′01″N 126°18′04″E / 41.017°N 126.301°E / 41.017; 126.301
2010-09-18	2007-07-02	1173	16.2	1.1–3.2	1.8–16	no	MRO	Odyssey	Phoenicis Lacus	Daedalia Planum	8°39′00″S 225°02′53″E / 8.650°S 225.048°E / -8.650; 225.048
2010-10-08	2008-08-30	768	17.8	1.2–3.5	2.5–22	no	Odyssey	Express	Lunae Palus	Echus Palus	13°21′54″N 283°46′16″E / 13.365°N 283.771°E / 13.365; 283.771
2010-10-23	2009-08-17	431	16.1	1.0–3.1	1.8–16	no	Odyssey	MRO	Tharsis	Tharsis Rise	22°46′26″N 247°35′28″E / 22.774°N 247.591°E / 22.774; 247.591
2010-11-23	2010-03-10	258	17.6	1.2–3.5	2.4–22	no	Odyssey	MRO	Diacria	Acheron Fossae	35°52′08″N 230°52′23″E / 35.869°N 230.873°E / 35.869; 230.873
2012-02-03	2011-12-04	61	16.1	1.0–3.1	1.8–16	no	MRO	MRO	Aeolis	Avernus Cavi	4°31′34″S 172°27′07″E / 4.526°S 172.452°E / -4.526; 172.452
2012-02-18	2010-06-24	604	16.7	1.1–3.3	2.0–18	no	MRO	MRO	Memnonia	Daedalia Planum	1°45′04″S 221°17′38″E / 1.751°S 221.294°E / -1.751; 221.294
2012-03-11	2010-04-02	708	21.2	1.4–4.2	4.5–40	no	MRO	Odyssey	Tharsis	Tharsis Rise	15°56′31″N 248°36′47″E / 15.942°N 248.613°E / 15.942; 248.613
2012-03-26	2011-12-26	91	24.2	1.6–4.9	6.9–62	no	MRO	MRO	Mare Tyrrhenum	Terra Cimmeria	14°25′59″S 132°42′00″E / 14.433°S 132.700°E / -14.433; 132.700
2012-03-28	2012-03-27	0	48.7	3.6–11	71–640	no	MRO	MRO	Amazonis	Amazonis Planitia	3°21′00″N 219°24′14″E / 3.350°N 219.404°E / 3.350; 219.404
2012-05-09	2010-03-07	793	19.6	1.3–3.9	3.4–31	no	MRO	Express	Arabia	Terra Sabaea	2°02′13″N 44°32′46″E / 2.037°N 44.546°E / 2.037; 44.546
2012-05-16	2011-06-20	331	22.8	1.5–4.6	5.7–51	no	MRO	MRO	Syrtis Major	Terra Sabaea	3°40′48″N 53°25′41″E / 3.680°N 53.428°E / 3.680; 53.428
2012-07-05	2010-08-29	675	16.1	1.0–3.1	1.8–16	yes	MRO	MRO	Diacria	Erebus Montes	39°06′32″N 190°15′11″E / 39.109°N 190.253°E / 39.109; 190.253
2012-07-12	2010-05-12	792	15.3	0.99–3.0	1.5–14	no	MRO	MRO	Arabia	Arabia Terra	28°36′11″N 36°51′18″E / 28.603°N 36.855°E / 28.603; 36.855
2012-10-25	2010-08-26	791	18.1	1.2–3.6	2.6–24	no	MRO	MRO	Syrtis Major	Syrtis Major Planum	5°59′53″N 68°58′08″E / 5.998°N 68.969°E / 5.998; 68.969
2013-02-11	2010-07-30	927	30.2	2.1–6.3	15–130	no	MRO	Odyssey	Thaumasia	Solis Planum	31°23′28″S 287°54′25″E / 31.391°S 287.907°E / -31.391; 287.907
2013-06-08	2012-09-22	259	16.3	1.1–3.2	1.9–17	no	MRO	MRO	Iapygia	Terra Sabaea	6°55′26″S 66°56′49″E / 6.924°S 66.947°E / -6.924; 66.947
2013-06-21	2010-05-29	1118	24.0	1.6–4.9	6.7–61	no	MRO	MRO	Mare Tyrrhenum	Terra Cimmeria	5°22′01″S 132°08′17″E / 5.367°S 132.138°E / -5.367; 132.138	314 kilometers (195 mi) from Curiosity rover (not yet landed?)
2014-02-06	2013-01-29	372	15.1	0.97–2.9	1.4–13	no	MRO	MRO	Arcadia	Tempe Fossae	34°11′31″N 280°15′40″E / 34.192°N 280.261°E / 34.192; 280.261
2014-02-19	2010-12-20	1157	24.0	1.6–4.9	6.7–61	no	MRO	Odyssey	Arabia	Terra Sabaea	14°51′00″N 43°53′35″E / 14.850°N 43.893°E / 14.850; 43.893
2014-03-14	2011-03-17	1093	16.0	1.0–3.1	1.7–16	no	MRO	MRO	Diacria	Amazonis Planitia	32°17′28″N 212°56′53″E / 32.291°N 212.948°E / 32.291; 212.948
2014-03-15	2011-02-15	1124	16.7	1.1–3.3	2.0–18	no	MRO	Express	Arabia	Arabia Terra	29°12′14″N 22°10′37″E / 29.204°N 22.177°E / 29.204; 22.177
2014-03-26	2012-02-16	768	15.7	1.0–3.0	1.6–15	no	MRO	Odyssey	Phoenicis Lacus	Daedalia Planum	13°25′01″S 225°54′00″E / 13.417°S 225.900°E / -13.417; 225.900
2014-05-07	2011-03-20	1144	27.5	1.9–5.6	10–91	no	MRO	Express	Amenthes	Isidis Planitia	14°42′36″N 99°48′22″E / 14.710°N 99.806°E / 14.710; 99.806
2014-05-23	2009-11-30	1635	15.3	0.99–3.0	1.5–14	no	MRO	Odyssey	Lunae Palus	Sacra Dorsa	8°12′04″N 290°26′02″E / 8.201°N 290.434°E / 8.201; 290.434
2014-07-01	2011-04-04	1184	21.0	1.4–4.2	4.3–39	no	MRO	Express	Tharsis	Tharsis Rise	6°15′14″N 264°26′38″E / 6.254°N 264.444°E / 6.254; 264.444
2014-11-30	2013-05-13	565	15.8	1.0–3.1	1.7–15	no	MRO	Odyssey	Tharsis	Tharsis Rise	8°38′06″N 239°25′37″E / 8.635°N 239.427°E / 8.635; 239.427
2015-01-18	2011-06-06	1321	19.9	1.3–4.0	3.5–34	no	MRO	MRO	Arabia	Arabia Terra	27°39′25″N 11°35′49″E / 27.657°N 11.597°E / 27.657; 11.597
2015-09-09	2013-08-02	768	21.8	1.5–4.4	4.9–44	no	MRO	MRO	Tharsis	Tharsis Rise	13°07′19″N 244°11′20″E / 13.122°N 244.189°E / 13.122; 244.189
2016-02-06	2011-08-01	1649	15.5	1.0–3.0	1.6–14	no	MRO	MRO	Amazonis	Amazonis Planitia	24°56′56″N 193°07′37″E / 24.949°N 193.127°E / 24.949; 193.127
2016-04-15	2012-07-02	1383	16.3	1.1–3.2	1.9–17	no	MRO	MRO	Elysium	Elysium Planitia	25°17′24″N 155°31′23″E / 25.290°N 155.523°E / 25.290; 155.523
2016-05-28	2015-12-29	151	27.9	1.9–5.8	11–100	no	MRO	MRO	Tharsis	Sulci Gordii	16°39′32″N 233°17′02″E / 16.659°N 233.284°E / 16.659; 233.284
2016-05-30	2013-08-07	1027	48.0	3.5–11	68–610	yes	MRO	MRO	Ismenius Lacus	Terra Sabaea	41°27′50″N 48°45′54″E / 41.464°N 48.765°E / 41.464; 48.765
2016-06-02	2012-05-03	1491	16.0	1.0–3.1	1.7–16	yes	MRO	MRO	Ismenius Lacus	Ismeniae Fossae	41°54′47″N 36°25′34″E / 41.913°N 36.426°E / 41.913; 36.426
2016-07-22	2012-04-09	1564	18.2	1.2–3.6	2.7–24	no	MRO	Express	Amenthes	Nepenthes Planum	11°58′23″N 126°17′20″E / 11.973°N 126.289°E / 11.973; 126.289
2016-09-10	2014-07-12	790	17.2	1.1–3.4	2.2–20	no	MRO	MRO	Memnonia	Terra Sirenum	15°37′55″S 181°04′16″E / 15.632°S 181.071°E / -15.632; 181.071	321 kilometers (199 mi) from Spirit rover (defunct).
2016-10-10	2012-07-15	1547	36.6	2.6–7.8	28–250	no	MRO	Odyssey	Amazonis	Amazonis Planitia	11°02′31″N 193°00′32″E / 11.042°N 193.009°E / 11.042; 193.009
2016-11-19	2013-08-19	1187	15.6	1.0–3.0	1.6–14	no	MRO	Odyssey	Elysium	Elysium Planitia	11°18′40″N 138°16′44″E / 11.311°N 138.279°E / 11.311; 138.279	425 kilometres (264 mi) from InSight (not yet landed).
2016-12-02	2012-12-27	1436	29.6	2.1–6.2	14–120	no	MRO	MRO	Elysium	Marte Vallis	7°48′25″N 176°27′04″E / 7.807°N 176.451°E / 7.807; 176.451
2017-05-29	2013-09-08	1358	32.5	2.3–6.8	19–170	no	MRO	MRO	Tharsis	Tharsis Rise	9°15′40″N 241°53′38″E / 9.261°N 241.894°E / 9.261; 241.894
2017-10-01	2014-01-25	1345	19.5	1.3–3.9	3.4–30	no	MRO	MRO	Tharsis	Olympus Mons	14°41′56″N 227°22′08″E / 14.699°N 227.369°E / 14.699; 227.369
2017-11-12	2015-12-02	710	15.7	1.0–3.0	1.6–15	no	MRO	MRO	Syrtis Major	Terra Sabaea	13°18′32″N 54°27′40″E / 13.309°N 54.461°E / 13.309; 54.461
2018-01-11	2015-02-05	1070	17.5	1.1–3.4	2.3–21	no	MRO	Odyssey	Ismenius Lacus	Terra Sabaea	35°35′28″N 42°30′22″E / 35.591°N 42.506°E / 35.591; 42.506
2018-03-19	2013-01-08	1895	19.1	1.3–3.8	3.2–28	no	MRO	MRO	Memnonia	Daedalia Planum	10°07′19″S 220°46′55″E / 10.122°S 220.782°E / -10.122; 220.782
2018-04-29	2014-03-02	1519	23.3	1.6–4.7	6.1–55	no	MRO	MRO	Syrtis Major	Isidis Planitia	21°35′38″N 88°15′18″E / 21.594°N 88.255°E / 21.594; 88.255
2018-05-06	2013-05-28	1803	23.7	1.6–4.8	6.5–58	no	MRO	MRO	Tharsis	Ulysses Fossae	6°12′32″N 235°14′42″E / 6.209°N 235.245°E / 6.209; 235.245
2018-05-11	2012-10-02	2047	15.6	1.0–3.0	1.6–14	no	MRO	MRO	Sinus Sabaeus	Schiaparelli Crater	2°52′01″S 16°11′56″E / 2.867°S 16.199°E / -2.867; 16.199
2018-08-28	2016-10-24	672	15.6	1.0–3.0	1.6–14	no	MRO	MRO	Tharsis	Biblis Tholus	1°51′47″N 236°01′01″E / 1.863°N 236.017°E / 1.863; 236.017
2018-09-14	2018-08-17	27	15.3	0.99–3.0	1.5–14	no	MRO	MRO	Mare Australe	Promethei Planum	81°29′28″S 41°20′56″E / 81.491°S 41.349°E / -81.491; 41.349
2018-11-25	2013-08-22	1920	34.3	2.4–7.3	22–200	no	MRO	MRO	Arabia	Terra Sabaea	14°23′06″N 24°37′19″E / 14.385°N 24.622°E / 14.385; 24.622
2018-11-26	2016-08-14	833	52.9	3.9–12	94–850	no	MRO	MRO	Noachis	Noachis Terra	34°38′56″S 35°58′01″E / 34.649°S 35.967°E / -34.649; 35.967
2018-12-03	2014-04-03	1704	15.5	1.0–3.0	1.6–14	no	MRO	MRO	Tharsis	Tharsis Rise	1°54′36″N 264°09′29″E / 1.910°N 264.158°E / 1.910; 264.158
2019-02-04	2017-11-29	432	17.3	1.1–3.4	2.2–20	no	MRO	MRO	Coprates	Sinai Planum	16°25′08″S 274°44′20″E / 16.419°S 274.739°E / -16.419; 274.739
2019-06-02	2018-04-18	409	17.6	1.2–3.5	2.4–22	no	MRO	MRO	Phoenicis Lacus	Noctis Labyrinthus	7°22′44″S 258°13′44″E / 7.379°S 258.229°E / -7.379; 258.229
2020-01-06	2019-10-15	83	20.8	1.4–4.2	4.2–38	no	MRO	MRO	Margaritifer Sinus	Iazu Crater	2°43′05″S 354°51′47″E / 2.718°S 354.863°E / -2.718; 354.863	26 kilometers (16 mi) from Opportunity rover (defunct). 74 kilometers (46 mi) from Schiaparelli EDM (crashed).
2020-05-27	2020-05-27	0	11.9	0.75–2.2	0.65–5.9	no	?	?	Elysium	Elysium Planitia	9°22′55″N 135°22′37″E / 9.382°N 135.377°E / 9.382; 135.377	Detected by InSight as a magnitude 2.3 marsquake^[14]
2020-06-28	2019-08-03	330	51.6	3.8–11	87–780	no	MRO	MRO	Mare Australe	Planum Australe	82°01′48″S 175°42′11″E / 82.030°S 175.703°E / -82.030; 175.703	337 kilometers (209 mi) from Mars Polar Lander (crashed).
2020-08-01	2017-09-15	1051	54.2	4.0–12	100–920	no	MRO	Express	Amazonis	Amazonis Planitia	23°34′59″N 206°52′16″E / 23.583°N 206.871°E / 23.583; 206.871
2021-02-18	2021-02-18	0	3.9	0.22–0.65	0.016–0.14	no	?	?	Amenthes	Elysium Planitia	4°36′22″N 134°05′13″E / 4.606°N 134.087°E / 4.606; 134.087	Detected by InSight as a magnitude 1.4 marsquake^[14]
2021-08-31	2021-08-31	0	7.2	0.43–1.3	0.12–1.1	no	?	?	Elysium	Elysium Planitia	0°23′49″N 135°41′17″E / 0.397°N 135.688°E / 0.397; 135.688	Detected by InSight as a magnitude 1.6 marsquake^[14]
2021-09-05	2021-09-05	0	6.1	0.35–1.0	0.070–0.60	no	MRO	?	Elysium	Elysium Planitia	3°58′26″N 136°57′47″E / 3.974°N 136.963°E / 3.974; 136.963	Detected by InSight as a magnitude 1.2 marsquake^[15]^[14]
2021-09-18	2021-09-18	0	130	11–32	1900–17000	no	MRO	MRO	Arcadia	Tempe Fossae	34°48′N 280°07′E / 34.80°N 280.12°E / 34.80; 280.12	Detected by InSight^[16]
2021-12-24	2021-12-24	0	150	12–37	3100–27000	yes	MRO	MRO	Amazonis	Amazonis Planitia	35°05′17″N 189°49′23″E / 35.088°N 189.823°E / 35.088; 189.823	Detected by InSight as a magnitude 4 marsquake^[8]^[17]

Notes

^ As the exact impact date isn't known for most craters, the date provided here is midway between the last pre-impact image and the discovery image.
^ ^a ^b Assuming a meteor velocity of 5-15 km/s, an impact angle of 45°, and a density of 1-3 g/cm³

References

^ "NASA's InSight Lander Detects Stunning Meteoroid Impact on Mars". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). NASA. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Daubar, Ingrid J. (2 June 2022). "New Craters on Mars: An Updated Catalog". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6604912. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
^ Pyle, Rod (2012). Destination Mars. Prometheus Books. pp. 73–78. ISBN 978-1-61614-589-7. It was the first spacecraft to enter orbit around another world. ... [It] continues to orbit Mars to this day, sailing around the planet deaf and dumb in the cold darkness.
^ "Viking 1 & 2 Orbiter Archive". atmos.nmsu.edu. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Daubar, I. J.; Dundas, C. M.; McEwen, A. S.; Gao, A.; Wexler, D.; Piqueux, S.; Collins, G. S.; Miljkovic, K.; Neidhart, T.; Eschenfelder, J.; Bart, G. D.; Wagstaff, K. L.; Doran, G.; Posiolova, L.; Malin, M.; Speth, G.; Susko, D.; Werynski, A. (1 July 2022). "New Craters on Mars: An Updated Catalog". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 127 (7): e07145. Bibcode:2022JGRE..12707145D. doi:10.1029/2021JE007145. hdl:10044/1/98223. ISSN 0148-0227. S2CID 229000379.
^ "NASA's InSight 'Hears' Its First Meteoroid Impacts on Mars". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). NASA. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
^ Marcus, Robert; Melosh, H. Jay; Collins, Gareth. "Calculated Results (10 meter, 3 g/cm^3 meteor falling over Earth at 25 km/s vertically)". impact.ese.ic.ac.uk. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
^ ^a ^b Greicius, Tony (27 October 2022). "NASA's InSight Lander Detects Stunning Meteoroid Impact on Mars". NASA. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
^ "Pow! Mars Hit By Space Rocks 200 Times a Year". Space.com. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
^ Burnham, R. (30 June 2011). "How often does Mars get whacked?". Red Planet Report. ASU. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
^ Daubar, I.J.; McEwen, A.S.; Byrne, S.; Kennedy, M.R.; Ivanov, B. (July 2013). "The current martian cratering rate" (PDF). Icarus. 225 (1): 506–516. Bibcode:2013Icar..225..506D. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2013.04.009. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c McEwen, A.; Daubar, I.; Ivanov, B.; Obest, J.; Malhotra, R.; JeongAhn, Y.; Byrne, S. (2015). "CURRENT IMPACT RATE ON EARTH, MOON, AND MARS" (PDF). Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. 46. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Asteroid Impact Crater Calculator - calculates the effects of the impact of an object hitting the earth". www.convertalot.com. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "NASA's InSight 'Hears' Its First Meteoroid Impacts on Mars". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). NASA. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
^ "InSight Detects an Impact for the First Time". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). NASA. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
^ Posiolova, L. V.; Lognonné, P.; Banerdt, W. B.; Clinton, J.; Collins, G. S.; Kawamura, T.; Ceylan, S.; Daubar, I. J.; Fernando, B.; Froment, M.; Giardini, D.; Malin, M. C.; Miljković, K.; Stähler, S. C.; Xu, Z.; Banks, M. E.; Beucler, É.; Cantor, B. A.; Charalambous, C.; Dahmen, N.; Davis, P.; Drilleau, M.; Dundas, C. M.; Durán, C.; Euchner, F.; Garcia, R. F.; Golombek, M.; Horleston, A.; Keegan, C.; Khan, A.; Kim, D.; Larmat, C.; Lorenz, R.; Margerin, L.; Menina, S.; Panning, M.; Pardo, C.; Perrin, C.; Pike, W. T.; Plasman, M.; Rajšić, A.; Rolland, L.; Rougier, E.; Speth, G.; Spiga, A.; Stott, A.; Susko, D.; Teanby, N. A.; Valeh, A.; Werynski, A.; Wójcicka, N.; Zenhäusern, G. (28 October 2022). "Largest recent impact craters on Mars: Orbital imaging and surface seismic co-investigation". Science. 378 (6618): 412–417. Bibcode:2022Sci...378..412P. doi:10.1126/science.abq7704. hdl:10044/1/100459. PMID 36302013. S2CID 253183826. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
^ "Candidate Recent Impact Site (ESP_073077_2155)". hirise.lpl.arizona.edu. Retrieved 2 November 2022.

[13] As the exact impact date isn't known for most craters, the date provided here is midway between the last pre-impact image and the discovery image.

[impactor-14] Assuming a meteor velocity of 5-15 km/s, an impact angle of 45°, and a density of 1-3 g/cm³

[InSightmeteor-1] "NASA's InSight Lander Detects Stunning Meteoroid Impact on Mars". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). NASA. Retrieved 1 November 2022.

[Craterlist-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Daubar, Ingrid J. (2 June 2022). "New Craters on Mars: An Updated Catalog". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6604912. Retrieved 1 November 2022.

[Pyle2012-3] Pyle, Rod (2012). Destination Mars. Prometheus Books. pp. 73–78. ISBN 978-1-61614-589-7. It was the first spacecraft to enter orbit around another world. ... [It] continues to orbit Mars to this day, sailing around the planet deaf and dumb in the cold darkness.

[4] "Viking 1 & 2 Orbiter Archive". atmos.nmsu.edu. Retrieved 1 November 2022.

[Daubar2022-5] Daubar, I. J.; Dundas, C. M.; McEwen, A. S.; Gao, A.; Wexler, D.; Piqueux, S.; Collins, G. S.; Miljkovic, K.; Neidhart, T.; Eschenfelder, J.; Bart, G. D.; Wagstaff, K. L.; Doran, G.; Posiolova, L.; Malin, M.; Speth, G.; Susko, D.; Werynski, A. (1 July 2022). "New Craters on Mars: An Updated Catalog". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 127 (7): e07145. Bibcode:2022JGRE..12707145D. doi:10.1029/2021JE007145. hdl:10044/1/98223. ISSN 0148-0227. S2CID 229000379.

[6] "NASA's InSight 'Hears' Its First Meteoroid Impacts on Mars". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). NASA. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.

[7] Marcus, Robert; Melosh, H. Jay; Collins, Gareth. "Calculated Results (10 meter, 3 g/cm^3 meteor falling over Earth at 25 km/s vertically)". impact.ese.ic.ac.uk. Retrieved 3 November 2022.

[Decembr2021meteor-8] Greicius, Tony (27 October 2022). "NASA's InSight Lander Detects Stunning Meteoroid Impact on Mars". NASA. Retrieved 2 November 2022.

[9] "Pow! Mars Hit By Space Rocks 200 Times a Year". Space.com. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2022.

[10] Burnham, R. (30 June 2011). "How often does Mars get whacked?". Red Planet Report. ASU. Retrieved 2 November 2022.

[11] Daubar, I.J.; McEwen, A.S.; Byrne, S.; Kennedy, M.R.; Ivanov, B. (July 2013). "The current martian cratering rate" (PDF). Icarus. 225 (1): 506–516. Bibcode:2013Icar..225..506D. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2013.04.009. Retrieved 2 November 2022.

[McEwen2015-12] McEwen, A.; Daubar, I.; Ivanov, B.; Obest, J.; Malhotra, R.; JeongAhn, Y.; Byrne, S. (2015). "CURRENT IMPACT RATE ON EARTH, MOON, AND MARS" (PDF). Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. 46. Retrieved 2 November 2022.

[impactcalculator-15] "Asteroid Impact Crater Calculator - calculates the effects of the impact of an object hitting the earth". www.convertalot.com. Retrieved 1 November 2022.

[InSightfirstquakes-16] "NASA's InSight 'Hears' Its First Meteoroid Impacts on Mars". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). NASA. Retrieved 2 November 2022.

[17] "InSight Detects an Impact for the First Time". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). NASA. Retrieved 2 November 2022.

[18] Posiolova, L. V.; Lognonné, P.; Banerdt, W. B.; Clinton, J.; Collins, G. S.; Kawamura, T.; Ceylan, S.; Daubar, I. J.; Fernando, B.; Froment, M.; Giardini, D.; Malin, M. C.; Miljković, K.; Stähler, S. C.; Xu, Z.; Banks, M. E.; Beucler, É.; Cantor, B. A.; Charalambous, C.; Dahmen, N.; Davis, P.; Drilleau, M.; Dundas, C. M.; Durán, C.; Euchner, F.; Garcia, R. F.; Golombek, M.; Horleston, A.; Keegan, C.; Khan, A.; Kim, D.; Larmat, C.; Lorenz, R.; Margerin, L.; Menina, S.; Panning, M.; Pardo, C.; Perrin, C.; Pike, W. T.; Plasman, M.; Rajšić, A.; Rolland, L.; Rougier, E.; Speth, G.; Spiga, A.; Stott, A.; Susko, D.; Teanby, N. A.; Valeh, A.; Werynski, A.; Wójcicka, N.; Zenhäusern, G. (28 October 2022). "Largest recent impact craters on Mars: Orbital imaging and surface seismic co-investigation". Science. 378 (6618): 412–417. Bibcode:2022Sci...378..412P. doi:10.1126/science.abq7704. hdl:10044/1/100459. PMID 36302013. S2CID 253183826. Retrieved 2 November 2022.

[19] "Candidate Recent Impact Site (ESP_073077_2155)". hirise.lpl.arizona.edu. Retrieved 2 November 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[note 1]

[note 2]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

Overview

List of notable impacts

Notes

See also

References