Mobilization of dust on the Mars surface by the impact of small cosmic bodies

Abstract

The Impact of small cosmic bodies on the Martian surface may be the cause of local sand storms. The interaction of the shock waves with the thermal layer (created by the action of thermal radiation to the surface) leads to the formation of a high-velocity jet moving along the surface. A reverse vortex in the precursor facilitates dust lifting. This and other factors lead to the dust rising: outgassing of the surface layer due to heating by the radiation impulse; intrusion of the high-pressure atmospheric gas behind the shock wave into the regolith and dust layer and subsequent blow off in the rarefaction wave; and formation of jets moving along the surface due to interaction of the ballistic wave with the blast wave and due to erosion by high-velocity impulsive winds behind the shock wave of the explosion. The results of preliminary theoretical simulations and laboratory modeling are presented. Copyright 1997 by the American Geophysical Union.