{"id":73979,"date":"2025-02-14T10:05:01","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T17:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=73979"},"modified":"2025-02-14T10:05:01","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T17:05:01","slug":"meteor-crater-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/meteor-crater-class\/","title":{"rendered":"How to study Mars \u2026 on Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s the best way to get hands-on experience studying craters on Mars \u2026 without leaving this planet? That\u2019s easy\u2014visit the unearthly site where a meteor slammed into Earth ~50,000 years ago.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Located just 45 minutes east of NAU\u2019s Flagstaff mountain campus, Meteor Crater is one of the best-preserved impact craters in the world, which makes it an ideal place to study <\/span>\u00a0planetary science<\/span><\/a>. That\u2019s why\u202f<\/span>Mark Salvatore<\/span><\/b>, an associate professor in the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science, created a course focused on the site called Impact Cratering @ Meteor Crater. It\u2019s being offered again this semester with assistant research professor\u202f<\/span>Alicia Rutledge<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe in the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science have modernized our undergraduate curriculum to provide students with the most modern skills, real-world experiences and unparalleled access to state-of-the-art equipment and unique planetary analog sites,\u201d Salvatore said. \u201cThis class provides students with direct access to one of northern Arizona\u2019s most impressive natural wonders. This is an opportunity that is not currently available to any other academic program in the world.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During multiple trips to the crater of the course of the semester, students get up close and personal with the crater\u2019s layers of rock and soil, investigate the distribution of shocked materials throughout the region and inspect the boulders that were thrown from the crater during its violent formation. <\/span>By the end of the course, they will have developed a thorough understanding of how to identify craters on other planets and how big impacts can reshape planets\u2019 environments and landscapes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Salvatore said the course was made possible thanks in part to a strong and expanding collaboration with the Barringer Crater Company and Meteor Crater Enterprises, which provided Salvatore, Rutledge and students with generous access to the crater.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more from NAU-TV.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n