J.E. Hedgepeth, E.G. Jones, H.C. Branco, H.M. Sapers, A.-C. Plesa, R. Smith, K. Miljković,
Numerical validation of the impact-related sources of hydrothermal alteration in Toro crater,
Icarus, Volume 460,
2026, 117267, ISSN 0019-1035, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2026.117267.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103526003337)
Abstract: The Toro crater is a case study to validate remote sensing observations with impact simulations and determine if observed hydrothermal alteration products originated pre- or post-crater formation. We used the iSALE-2D shock physics code to simulate the formation of Toro using the impact-induced bedrock heating and displacement to constrain the formation and modification of hydrothermal minerals. The highest temperature effects are concentrated within the central peak, where any pre-existing hydrothermal products are unlikely to be preserved. In contrast, pre-existing hydrothermal minerals in the proximal ejecta were statistically likely to survive the impact process. Our modeling results support that hydrothermal minerals observed in remote sensing data (MRO CRISM, THEMIS, and HiRISE) within Toro crater’s central peak formed post-impact, while the ejecta likely contains pre-existing hydrothermal minerals as suggested by previous studies.