Version 1
: Received: 31 December 2022 / Approved: 4 January 2023 / Online: 4 January 2023 (07:19:46 CET)
How to cite:
Gable, J.; Bagashov, E. Crater Formation under Extreme Space Weather Conditions. Preprints2023, 2023010071. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202301.0071.v1
Gable, J.; Bagashov, E. Crater Formation under Extreme Space Weather Conditions. Preprints 2023, 2023010071. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202301.0071.v1
Gable, J.; Bagashov, E. Crater Formation under Extreme Space Weather Conditions. Preprints2023, 2023010071. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202301.0071.v1
APA Style
Gable, J., & Bagashov, E. (2023). Crater Formation under Extreme Space Weather Conditions. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202301.0071.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Gable, J. and Eugene Bagashov. 2023 "Crater Formation under Extreme Space Weather Conditions" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202301.0071.v1
Abstract
We consider an alternative hypothesis of crater formation -- through an electric discharge machining (EDM) of the celestial bodies' surfaces. The source of the energy and the current itself may lie in the plasma infalling on a celestial body (from an extremely strong solar outburst or a nearby supernova). This mechanism may have been even more important than impact cratering in the early Solar System, with potential implications to the history of the dynamics of the System itself and solar activity in particular. In this light, the conclusion that shocked and metamorphosed minerals found within crater sites are evidence of hypervelocity impacts might be reconsidered. There are ambiguities that remain among sources of mineralogical formations. This study is ongoing with details of investigations supporting a new approach to crater formation not yet exhausted. Apart from mineralogical analysis and theoretical considerations regarding the large scale crater formation, we present a description of experimental studies of EDM acting at low pressures. Experimental results are made with crude setups and could easily be replicated on a larger scale with valuable research potential, as there is a well understood relation between the crater size and the energy needed for its production.
Keywords
Carrington event; craters; cratering; currents in plasma; electric discharge machining; geology; heliophysics; impact craters; Late Heavy Bombardment; piezoelectricity; transient crater; solar activity; Solar System
Subject
Physical Sciences, Astronomy and Astrophysics
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
