Spallanzani is a crater on Mars, located in the Hellas quadrangle at 58.0° south latitude and 86.4° east longitude. It measures in diameter, and was named after Italian biologist Lazzaro Spallanzani (1729–1799). The name was adopted by IAU's Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature in 1973.
Description
Pictures from orbiting spacecraft have shown many layers on the floor of the crater.
Many places on Mars show rocks arranged in layers. Rock can form layers in a variety of ways. Volcanoes, wind, or water can produce layers.
Many craters once contained lakes.Cabrol, N. and E. Grin. 2001. "The Evolution of Lacustrine Environments on Mars: Is Mars Only Hydrologically Dormant?" Icarus: 149, 291-328.Fassett, C. and J. Head. 2008. "Open-basin lakes on Mars: Distribution and implications for Noachian surface and subsurface hydrology". Icarus: 198, 37-56. Because some crater floors show deltas, water had to be present for some time. Dozens of deltas have been spotted on Mars.Wilson, J. A. Grant and A. Howard. 2013. Inventory of Equatorial Alluvial Fans and Deltas on Mars. 44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Deltas form when sediment is washed in from a stream entering a quiet body of water. Primitive organisms may have developed in such lakes; hence, some craters may be prime targets for the search for evidence of life on Mars.Newsom H., Hagerty J., Thorsos I. 2001. "Location and sampling of aqueous and hydrothermal deposits in Martian impact craters". Astrobiology: 1, 71-88.
See also List of craters on Mars
References