January 19, 2022
Wolfgang Elston (1928-2016), longtime professor of geology at UNM, was posthumously honored with a crater on Mars named after him. Elston's geological career began with a fellowship from the NM Bureau of Mines (now Geology) & Mines to map the Dwyer Quadrangle between Deming and Silver City. This led to PhD research in the area and the recognition many of the volcanic rocks were ignimbrites from massive calderas.
Elston's interest in calderas lead to a lifelong interest in planetary geology and impact craters. He worked for several years on the Bushveld Complex in South Africa and more recently on the Santa Fe Impact Structure.