Editing Burton (crater)

{{Short description|Crater on Mars}}

{{Infobox crater data

| titlecolor = #FA8072

| title = Burton

| image = Burton crater 637A77.jpg

| caption = [[Viking program|Viking Orbiter 1]] image with Burton at the bottom

| globe = Mars

| coordinates = {{coord|13.9|S|156.3|W|globe:mars_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| diameter = {{cvt|123.2|km}}

| eponym = [[Charles E. Burton]]

}}

'''Burton''' is an [[impact crater]] in the [[Memnonia quadrangle]] of [[Mars]]. It is 123.0&nbsp;km in diameter and was named after British astronomer [[Charles E. Burton]]; the name was approved in 1973.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature {{!}} Burton|url=http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/929|website=usgs.gov|publisher=[[International Astronomical Union]]|access-date=4 March 2015}}</ref>

It has a central peak. Impact craters generally have a rim with ejecta around them, in contrast volcanic craters usually do not have a rim or ejecta deposits. As craters get larger (greater than 10&nbsp;km in diameter) they usually have a central peak.<ref name="lpi.usra.edu">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/slidesets/stones/|title=Stones, Wind, and Ice: A Guide to Martian Impact Craters}}</ref> The peak is caused by a rebound of the crater floor following the impact.<ref name="Kieffer1992">{{cite book|author=Hugh H. Kieffer|title=Mars|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NoDvAAAAMAAJ|access-date=7 March 2011|date=1992|publisher=[[University of Arizona Press]]|isbn=978-0-8165-1257-7}}</ref>

[[Cobres (crater)|Cobres]] crater is northeast of Burton, and [[Marca (crater)|Marca]] crater is to the northwest. [[Mangala Valles]] is to the east.

In December 2021, three craters immediately south of Burton were named. These are [[Karratha (crater)|Karratha]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature {{!}} Karratha|url=http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/16012|website=usgs.gov|publisher=[[International Astronomical Union]]|access-date=9 January 2022}}</ref> [[Khujirt (crater)|Khujirt]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature {{!}} Khujirt|url=http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/16013|website=usgs.gov|publisher=[[International Astronomical Union]]|access-date=9 January 2022}}</ref> and [[Dampier (crater)|Dampier]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature {{!}} Dampier|url=http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/16014|website=usgs.gov|publisher=[[International Astronomical Union]]|access-date=9 January 2022}}</ref> Karratha is within Dampier.

<gallery class="center" widths="200px" heights="200px">

Wikiburton.jpg|Middle section of Burton crater, as seen by CTX camera (on[[Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter|MRO]])

Wikiburtoncenter.jpg|Central peaks of Burton crater, showing [[dark slope streaks]]. Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image.

Burton_crater.jpg|Topographic map showing the central peak

Burton crater Viking mosaic.jpg|Mosaic of Viking Orbiter 1 images, acquired near the end of the Viking mission in 1980

</gallery>

== Dark slope streaks ==

{{Main article|Dark slope streaks}}

Many places on Mars show dark streaks on steep slopes like crater walls. It seems that the youngest streaks are dark; they become lighter with age. Often they begin as a small narrow spot then widen and extend downhill for hundreds of meters. They have been seen to travel around obstacles, like boulders.<ref>http://www.space.com/image_of_day_080730.html {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref>

Several ideas have been advanced to explain the streaks. Some involve water or even the growth of organisms.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.spcae.com/scienceastronomy/streaks_mars_021211.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=2017-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221231430/http://www.spcae.com/scienceastronomy/streaks_mars_021211.html |archive-date=2015-02-21 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/streaks_mars_streaks_030328.html {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref><ref>http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mars_ {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref><ref>http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/streaks_mars_021200.html {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> It is most generally accepted that they represent avalanches of dust. The streaks appear in areas covered with dust. When a thin layer of dust is removed, the underlying surface is dark. Much of the Martian surface is covered with dust. Fine dust settles out of the atmosphere covering everything.

Dark streaks can be seen in the image of the central peak above, taken by CTX.

== See also ==

{{Geography of Mars}}