Impact‐induced hydrothermal activity on early Mars

Abstract

We report on numerical modeling results of postimpact cooling of craters with diameters of 30, 100, and 180 km in an early Martian environment, with and without the presence of water. The effects of several variables, such as ground permeability and the presence of a crater lake, were tested. Host rock permeability is the main factor affecting fluid circulation and lifetimes of hydrothermal systems, and several permeability cases were examined for each crater. The absence of a crater lake decreases the amount of circulating water and increases the system lifetime; however, it does not dramatically change the character of the system as long as the ground remains saturated. It was noted that vertical heat transport by water increases the temperature of localized near‐surface regions and can prolong system lifetime, which is defined by maximum near‐surface temperature. However, for very high permeabilities this effect is negated by the overall rapid cooling of the system. System lifetimes, which are defined by near‐surface temperatures and averaged for all permeability cases examined, were 67,000 years for the 30‐km crater, 290,000 years for the 100‐km crater, and 380,000 for the 180‐km crater. Also, an approximation of the thermal evolution of a Hellas‐sized basin suggests potential for hydrothermal activity for ∼10 Myr after the impact. These lifetimes provide ample time for colonization of impact‐induced hydrothermal systems by thermophilic organisms, provided they existed on early Mars. The habitable volume reaches a maximum of 6,000 km38,500 years after the impact in the 180‐km crater model.