Louth (crater)

Louth
	Color photograph of Louth by the HRSC on ESA's Mars Express
Planet	Mars
Coordinates	70°11′N 103°14′E / 70.19°N 103.24°E
Quadrangle	Mare Boreum
Diameter	36.29 km (22.55 mi)
Eponym	Louth, Ireland

Louth (/laʊð/) is an impact crater on Mars located at 70°11′N 103°14′E / 70.19°N 103.24°E / 70.19; 103.24 in the Mare Boreum quadrangle. Located within Vastitas Borealis, the crater has a diameter of 36.29 kilometres (22.55 miles) and is named after Louth, a town in Ireland.

Louth's characteristic feature is the persistent ice mound at the center of the crater. The central ice mound is the closest to the equator of all analogous features on the Martian surface, and of particular relevance to researchers studying climatic variability on the planet's surface. Many theories exist for the creation and persisting nature of the ice mound, with the predominant explanation being that of advected water vapor being deposited over the crater's surface by southwesterly winds. Due to its particular interest to scientists, two mission drafts have been proposed to explore the crater's makeup.

^ ^a ^b ^c "Planetary Names: Crater, craters: Louth on Mars". IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature. United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
^ Schmude, Richard (31 July 2016). "Variability of Mars' Seasonal North Polar Cap". Georgia Journal of Science. 74 (2). ISSN 0147-9369. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.

[planetarynames-1] "Planetary Names: Crater, craters: Louth on Mars". IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature. United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.

[schmude-2] Schmude, Richard (31 July 2016). "Variability of Mars' Seasonal North Polar Cap". Georgia Journal of Science. 74 (2). ISSN 0147-9369. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.

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