Impact Craters with Circular and Isolated Secondary Craters on the Continuous Secondaries Facies on the Moon

Abstract

On airless bodies such as the Moon and Mercury, secondary craters on the continuous secondaries facies of fresh craters mostly occur in chains and clusters. They have very irregular shapes. Secondaries on the continuous secondaries facies of some Martian and Mercurian craters are more isolated from each other in distribution and are more circular in shape, probably due to the effect of target properties on the impact excavation process. This paper studies secondaries on the continuous secondaries facies of all fresh lunar complex craters using recently-obtained high resolution images. After a global search, we find that 3 impact craters and basins on the Moon have circular and isolated secondaries on the continuous secondaries facies similar to those on Mercury: the Orientale basin, the Antoniadi crater, and the Compton crater. The morphological differences between such special secondaries and typical lunar secondaries are quantitatively compared and analyzed. Our preliminary analyses suggest that the special secondaries were probably caused by high temperature gradients within the local targets when these craters and basins formed. The high-temperature of the targets could have affected the impact excavation process by causing higher ejection angles, giving rise to more scattered circular secondaries.

Keywords

Moon, impact cratering / secondary craters / comparative planetology

References

[1] Boyce J. W., Tomlinson S. M., McCubbin F. M., . The Lunar Apatite Paradox. Science, 2014, 344(6182): 400-402.

[2] Chauhan, M., Bhattacharya, S., Saran, S., et al., 2014. Remote Sensing Observations of the Morphological Features of Compton-Belkovich Volcanic Complex: An Ash-Flow Caldera on the Moon. 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2014) Abstract. Texas. 1862

[3] Gault D. E., Guest J. E., Murray J. B., . Some Comparisons of Impact Craters on Mercury and the Moon. Journal of Geophysical Research, 1975, 80(17): 2444-2460.

[4] Gault D. E., Quaide W. L., Oberbeck V. R. Impact Cratering Mechanics and Structures. A Primer in Lunar Geology, 1974, 1: 177-189.

[5] Hartmann K. W., Wood A. C. Moon: Origin and Evolution of Multi-Ring Basins. The Moon, 1971, 3(1): 3-78.

[6] Heiken, G., Vaniman, D., French, B. M., 1991. Lunar Source Book: A User’s Guide to the Moon. Cambridge University Press

[7] Jolliff B. L., Gillis J. J., Haskin L. A., . Major Lunar Crustal Terranes: Surface Expressions and Crust-Mantle Origins. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (1991–2012), 2000, 105(E2): 4197-4216.

[8] Kargel J. S. First and Second-Order Equatorial Symmetry of Martian Rampart Crater Ejecta Morphologies. 4th International Conference on Mars. The University of Arizona, 1989, 132-133.

[9] Losiak A., Wilheimes D. E., Byrne C. J., . A New Lunar Impact Crater Database. 40th Lunar and Planetary Science Conferrence (2009), 2009

[10] Melosh H. J. Impact Cratering: A Geological Process, 1989 Oxford: Oxford University Press

[11] Melosh H. J. Planetary Surface Processes, 2011 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

[12] Miljkovic K., Wieczorek M. A., Collins G. S., . Asymmetric Distribution of Lunar Impact Basins Caused by Variations in Target Properties. Science, 2013, 342(6159): 724-726.

[13] Oberbeck V. R., Morrison R. H. The Lunar Herringbone Pattern. In Apollo 17: Preliminary Science Report, 1973, 330: 32-15.

[14] Oberbeck V. R., Morrison R. H. Laboratory Simulation of the Herringbone Pattern Associated with Lunar Secondary Crater Chains. The Moon, 1974, 9(3–4): 415-455.

[15] Pike R. J. Geometric Interpretation of Lunar Craters. U. S, 1980 Washington: Government Printing Office

[16] Robinson M., Brylow S., Tschimmel M., . Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Instrument Overview. Space Science Reviews, 2010, 150(1–4): 81-124.

[17] Schaber G. G., Boyce J. M., Trask N. J. Moon-Mercury: Large Impact Structures, Isostasy and Average Crustal Viscosity. Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, 1977, 15(2): 189-201.

[18] Schultz P. H., Singer J. A Comparison of Secondary Craters on the Moon, Mercury, and Mars. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Texas, 1980, 2243-2259.

[19] Schultz P. H. Cratering on Mercury: A Relook. Mercury, 1988, 274-335.

[20] Solomon S. C., Head J. W. Vertical Movement in Mare Basins: Relation to Mare Emplacement, Basin Tectonics, and Lunar Thermal History. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth (1978–2012), 1979, 84(B4): 1667-1682.

[21] Spudis P. D. The Geology of Multi-Ring Impact Basins, 1993 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

[22] Stöffler D., Ryder G. Stratigraphy and Isotope Ages of Lunar Geologic Units: Chronological Standard for the Inner Solar System. Space Science Reviews, 2001, 96(1–4): 9-54.

[23] Strom R. G., Malhotra R., Ito T., . The Origin of Planetary Impactors in the Inner Solar System. Science, 2005, 309(5742): 1847-1850.

[24] Wieczorek M. A., Neumann G. A., Nimmo F., . The Crust of the Moon as Seen by GRAIL. Science, 2013, 339(6120): 671-675.

[25] Wilhelms D. E., McCauley J. F., Trask N. J. The Geologic History of the Moon. U. S, 1987 Washington: Government Printing Office

[26] Xiao Z., Komastu G. Impact Craters with Ejecta Flows and Central Pits on Mercury. Planetary and Space Science, 2013, 82: 62-78.

[27] Xiao Z., Strom R. G., Chapman C. R., . Comparisons of Fresh Complex Impact Craters on Mercury and the Moon: Implications for Controlling Factors in Impact Excavation Processes. Icarus, 2014, 228(0): 260-275.

[28] Xiao Z., Zeng Z., Komatsu G. A Global Inventory of Central Pit Craters on the Moon: Distribution, Morphology, and Geometry. Icarus, 2014, 227: 195-201.

[29] Xiao Z., Strom R. G., Zeng Z. Mistakes in Using Crater Size-Frequency Distributions to Estimate Planetary Surface Ages. Earth Science–Journal of China University of Geosciences, 2013, 38(1): 145-158.

[30] Xiao Z., Strom R. G. Problems Determining Relative and Absolute Ages Using the Small Crater Population. Icarus, 2012, 220: 254-267.