Impact demagnetization of the Martian crust: Primaries versus secondaries

Abstract

Numerical simulations presented here show that demagnetization of crust near the largest Martian basins by secondary impacts can be comparable to that by direct shock waves outside the transient cavity. The relative input from secondary impacts, which demagnetize only the uppermost layers, depends on the magnetic carrier distribution within the crust. Thus, we discuss properties of likely magnetic remanence carriers and their possible spatial distribution within the crust.