Martian rampart and pedestal craters' ejecta-emplacement: Coprates quadrangle

Relationships between crater size and ejecta-blanket areal extents imply a maximum ejecta-blanket thickness or maximum rim height for Martian rampart craters. The limiting thickness is encountered only for craters exceeding 6 km diameter. Although smaller rampart craters have ejecta which appears to have undergone flow during emplacement, the larger craters have an additional component of flow, namely, internal flow of the ejecta caused by the greater weight of their thicker ejecta deposits. Pedestal craters most likely result from impacts into less volatile-rich substrates which produce a less fluidized ejecta and, consequently, no flow lobes.     

Water or ice in the Martian regolith?: Clues from rampart craters seen at very high resolution

Very high resolution Viking Orbiter images (8–17 m per pixel) have been used to investigate the morphology of Martian rampart crater ejecta blankets and the crater interiors, with the objective of identifying the fluidizing medium for the ejecta and the physical properties of the target rock. The occurrence of well-preserved, small-scale pressure ridges and scour marks, evidence for subsidence around isolated buried blocks in partially eroded ejecta lobes, and the stability of crater walls and distal ramparts argue for ground ice being the dominant state for volatiles within the target rocks at the time of impact. Rare examples of channels (190–650 m wide) on the surfaces of ejecta blankets, and on the inner walls of the crater Cerulli, indicate that in some instances liquid water was incorporated into the ejecta during its emplacement. No morphological evidence has been found to discount the idea that atmospheric effects were partially responsible for ejecta fluidization, but it is clear that these effects were not the sole reason for the characteristic lobate deposits surrounding at least some rampart craters on Mars.     

A mechanism for the production of lunar crater rays

Observations of high resolution photographs of part of one of the prominent rays of the lunar crater Copernicus show that there is a concentration of small bright rayed and haloed craters within the ray. These craters contribute to the overall ray brightness; they have been measured and their surface distribution has been mapped. Sixty-two percent of the bright craters can be identified from study of high resolution photographs as concentric impact craters. These craters contain in their ejecta blankets, rocks from the lunar substrate that are brighter than the adjacent mare surface. It is concluded that the brightness of the large ray from the crater Copernicus is due to the composite effect of many small concentric impact craters with rocky ejecta blankets. If this is the dominant mechanism for the production of other rays from Copernicus and other large lunar craters, then rays may not contain significant amounts of ejecta from the central crater or from large secondary craters. They may in fact only reflect local excavation of mare substrate material by myriads of small secondary or tertiary impact craters.     

Martian perched craters and large ejecta volume: Evidence for episodes of deflation in the northern lowlands

Abstract— The northern lowland plains, such as those found in Acidalia and Utopia Planitia, have high percentages of impact craters with fluidized ejecta. In both regions, the analysis of crater geometry from Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) data has revealed large ejecta volumes, some exceeding the volume of excavation. Moreover, some of the crater cavities and fluidized ejecta blankets of these craters are topographically perched above the surrounding plains. These perched craters are concentrated between 40 and 70°N in the northern plains. The atypical high volumes of the ejecta and the perched craters suggest that the northern lowlands have experienced one or more episodes of resurfacing that involved deposition and erosion. The removal of material, most likely caused by the sublimation of ice in the materials and their subsequent erosion and transport by the wind, is more rapid on the plains than on the ejecta blankets. The thermal inertia difference between the ejecta and the surrounding plains suggests that ejecta, characterized by a lower thermal inertia, protect the underneath terrain from sublimation. This results in a decreased elevation of the plains relative to the ejecta blankets. Sublimation and eolian erosion can be particularly high during periods of high obliquity.     

Ages of rampart craters in equatorial regions on Mars: Implications for the past and present distribution of ground ice

Abstract— We are testing the idea of Squyres et al. (1992) that rampart craters on Mars may have formed over a significant time period and therefore the onset diameter (minimum diameter of a rampart crater) only reflects the ground ice depth at a given time. We measured crater size frequencies on the layered ejecta of rampart craters in three equatorial regions to derive absolute model ages and to constrain the regional volatile history. Nearly all rampart craters in the Xanthe Terra region are ?3.8 Gyr old. This corresponds to the Noachian fluvial activity that region. Rampart crater formation declines in the Hesperian, whereas onset diameters (minimum diameter) increase. No new rampart craters formed after the end of the Hesperian (?3 Gyr). This indicates a lowering of the ground ice table with time in the Xanthe Terra region. Most rampart craters in the Valles Marineris region are around 3.6 Gyr old. Only one large, probably Amazonian‐aged (?2.5 Gyr), rampart crater exists. These ages indicate a volatile‐rich period in the Early Hesperian and a lowering of the ground ice table with time in the Valles Marineris study region. Rampart craters in southern Chryse Planitia, which are partly eroded by fluvial activity, show ages around 3.9 Gyr. Rampart craters superposed on channels have ages between ?1.5 and ?0.6 Gyr. The onset diameter (3 km at ?1.5 Gyr) in this region may indicate a relatively shallow ground ice table. Loss of volatiles due to diffusion and sublimation might have lowered the ground ice table even in the southern Chryse Planitia region afterwards. In general, our study implies a formation of the smallest rampart craters within and/or shortly after periods of fluvial activity and a subsequent lowering of the ground ice table indicated by increasing onset diameter to the present. These results question the method to derive present equatorial ground ice depths from the onset diameter of rampart craters without information about their formation time.     

Martian subsurface properties and crater formation processes inferred from fresh impact crater geometries

Abstract— The geometry of simple impact craters reflects the properties of the target materials, and the diverse range of fluidized morphologies observed in Martian ejecta blankets are controlled by the near‐surface composition and the climate at the time of impact. Using the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) data set, quantitative information about the strength of the upper crust and the dynamics of Martian ejecta blankets may be derived from crater geometry measurements. Here, we present the results from geometrical measurements of fresh craters 3–50 km in rim diameter in selected highland (Lunae and Solis Plana) and lowland (Acidalia, Isidis, and Utopia Planitiae) terrains. We find large, resolved differences between the geometrical properties of the freshest highland and lowland craters. Simple lowland craters are 1.5–2.0 times deeper (≥5s?_o difference) with >50% larger cavities (≥2s?_o) compared to highland craters of the same diameter. Rim heights and the volume of material above the preimpact surface are slightly greater in the lowlands over most of the size range studied. The different shapes of simple highland and lowland craters indicate that the upper ?6.5 km of the lowland study regions are significantly stronger than the upper crust of the highland plateaus. Lowland craters collapse to final volumes of 45–70% of their transient cavity volumes, while highland craters preserve only 25–50%. The effective yield strength of the upper crust in the lowland regions falls in the range of competent rock, approximately 9–12 MPa, and the highland plateaus may be weaker by a factor of 2 or more, consistent with heavily fractured Noachian layered deposits. The measured volumes of continuous ejecta blankets and uplifted surface materials exceed the predictions from standard crater scaling relationships and Maxwell's Z model of crater excavation by a factor of 3. The excess volume of fluidized ejecta blankets on Mars cannot be explained by concentration of ejecta through nonballistic emplacement processes and/or bulking. The observations require a modification of the scaling laws and are well fit using a scaling factor of ?1.4 between the transient crater surface diameter to the final crater rim diameter and excavation flow originating from one projectile diameter depth with Z = 2.7. The refined excavation model provides the first observationally constrained set of initial parameters for study of the formation of fluidized ejecta blankets on Mars.     

Ejecta deposition after oblique impacts: An influence of impact scale

Abstract– Simple estimates suggest that ejecta blankets around larger craters should be more asymmetric than around smaller craters for the same oblique impact angle. Numerical simulations presented in the paper confirm that an increase in the scale of gravity‐dominated craters (and in the size of the corresponding projectiles) increases the asymmetry of both impact craters and ejecta blankets around them.     

Morphology and geometry of the distal ramparts of Martian impact craters

Abstract— We used Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA), Thermal Emission Imaging System visible light (THEMIS VIS), and Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) data to identify and characterize the morphology and geometry of the distal ramparts surrounding Martian craters. Such information is valuable for investigating the ejecta emplacement process, as well as searching for spatial variations in ejecta characteristics that may be due to target material properties and/or latitude, altitude, or temporal variations in the climate. We find no systematic trend in rampart height that would indicate regional variations in target properties for 54 ramparts at 37 different craters 5.7–35.9 km in diameter between 52.3°S to 47.6°N. Rampart heights for multi‐lobe and single‐lobe ejecta are each normally distributed with a common standard deviation, but statistically distinct mean values. Ramparts range in height from 20–180 m, are not symmetric, are typically steeper on their distal sides, and may be as much as ?4 km wide. The ejecta blanket proximal to parent crater from the rampart may be very thin (<5 m). A detailed analysis of two craters, Toconao crater (21°S, 285°E) (28 measurements), and an unnamed crater within Chryse Planitia (28.4°N, 319.6°E) (20 measurements), reveals that ejecta runout distance increases with an increase in height between the crater rim and the rampart, but that rampart height is not correlated with ejecta runout distance or the thickness of the ejecta blanket.     

Observations of Martian layered ejecta craters and constraints on their formation mechanisms

The formation mechanism of layered ejecta craters on Mars has remained a topic of intense debate since their discovery. In this study, we perform a global morphological analysis of Martian layered ejecta craters using Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) images and Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) data. The study focuses on the ejecta morphologies and well‐defined distal rampart characteristics associated with 9945 layered ejecta craters with a diameter greater than 1.5 km distributed across the entire Martian surface. Data analysis based on the new database provides new information on the distribution and morphological details of the three major layered ejecta morphologies (single layer ejecta [SLE], double layer ejecta [DLE], and multiple layer ejecta [MLE]). Global analysis is applied to the latitudinal distribution of characteristic parameters, including the ejecta mobility, lobateness values, and onset diameter. Our survey of the distribution and characteristics of layered ejecta craters reveals that strong correlations exist between ejecta mobility and latitude, and there is a latitudinal dependence of onset diameter. Our study of Martian layered ejecta craters provides more detailed information and insights of a connection between the layered ejecta morphologies and the subsurface volatiles.     

Impacts into non-polar ice-rich paleodeposits on Mars: Excess ejecta craters, perched craters and pedestal craters as clues to Amazonian climate history

We compare three previously independently studied crater morphologies - excess ejecta craters, perched craters, and pedestal craters - each of which has been proposed to form from impacts into an ice-rich surface layer. Our analysis identifies the specific similarities and differences between the crater types; the commonalities provide significant evidence for a genetic relationship among the morphologies. We use new surveys of excess ejecta and perched craters in the southern hemisphere in conjunction with prior studies of all of the morphologies to create a comprehensive overview of their geographic distributions and physical characteristics. From these analyses, we conclude that excess ejecta craters and perched craters are likely to have formed from the same mechanism, with excess ejecta craters appearing fresh while perched craters have experienced post-impact modification and infilling. Impacts that led to these two morphologies overwhelmed the ice-rich layer, penetrating into the underlying martian regolith, resulting in the excavation of rock that formed the blocky ejecta necessary to armor the surface and preserve the ice-rich deposits. Pedestal craters, which tend to be smaller in diameter, have the same average deposit thickness as excess ejecta and perched craters, and form in the same geographic regions. They rarely have ejecta around their crater rims, instead exhibiting a smooth pedestal surface. We interpret this to mean that they form from impacts into the same type of ice-rich paleodeposit, but that they do not penetrate through the icy surface layer, and thus do not generate a blocky ejecta covering. Instead, a process related to the impact event appears to produce a thin, indurated surface lag deposit that serves to preserve the ice-rich material. These results provide a new basis to identify the presence of Amazonian non-polar ice-rich deposits, to map their distribution in space and time, and to assess Amazonian climate history. Specifically, the ages, distribution and physical attributes of the crater types suggest that tens to hundreds of meters of ice-rich material has been episodically emplaced at mid latitudes in both hemispheres throughout the Amazonian due to obliquity-driven climate variations. These deposits likely accumulated more frequently in the northern lowlands, resulting in a larger population of all three crater morphologies in the northern hemisphere.     

Ejecta emplacement and modes of formation of martian fluidized ejecta craters

From an analysis of 1173 craters possessing single (Type I) and double (Type 2) concentric ejecta deposits, Type 2 craters are found to occur most frequently in areas that have also been described as possessing periglacial features. The frequency of occurence of central peaks and wall failure (terraces plus scallops) within the craters indicate that, by analogy with previous analyses, Type 1 craters form in more fragmental targets than Type 2 craters. The maximum range of the outer ejecta deposits of Type 2 craters, however, consistently extends ～0.8 crater radii further than ejecta deposits of Type 1 craters, suggesting a greater degree of ejecta fluidization for the twin-lobed Type 2 craters. Numerous characteristics of Ries Crater, West Germany, show similarities to craters on Mars, indicating that Martian fluidized ejecta craters may be closer analogs to this terrestrial crater than are lunar craters.     

High‐resolution studies of double‐layered ejecta craters: Morphology,inherent structure,and a phenomenological formation model

The ejecta blankets of impact craters in volatile‐rich environments often possess characteristic layered ejecta morphologies. The so‐called double‐layered ejecta (DLE) craters are characterized by two ejecta layers with distinct morphologies. The analysis of high‐resolution image data, especially HiRISE and CTX, provides new insights into the formation of DLE craters. A new phenomenological excavation and ejecta emplacement model for DLE craters is proposed based on a detailed case study of the Martian crater Steinheim—a well‐preserved DLE crater—and studies of other DLE craters. The observations show that the outer ejecta layer is emplaced as medial and distal ejecta that propagate outwards in a debris avalanche or (if saturated with water) a debris flow mode after landing, overrunning previously formed secondary craters. In contrast, the inner ejecta layer is formed by a translational slide of the proximal ejecta deposits during the emplacement stage that overrun and superimpose parts of the outer ejecta layer. Based on our model, DLE craters on Mars are the result of an impact event into a rock/ice mixture that produces large amounts of shock‐induced vaporization and melting of ground ice, leading to high ejection angles, proximal landing positions, and an ejecta curtain with relatively wet (in terms of water in liquid form) composition in the distal part versus dryer composition in the proximal part. As a consequence, basal melting of ice components in the ejecta at the transient crater rim, which is induced by frictional heating and the enhanced pressure at depth, initiates an outwards directed collapse of crater rim material in a translational slide mode. Our results indicate that similar processes may also be applicable for other planetary bodies with volatile‐rich environments, such as Ganymede, Europa, and the Earth.     

Transport and emplacement of crater and basin deposits

Material is ejected from impact craters in ballastic trajectories; it impacts first near the crater rim and then at progressively greater ranges. Ejecta from craters smaller than approximately 1 km is laid predominantly on top of the surrounding surface. With increasing crater size, however, more and more surrounding surface will be penetrated by secondary cratering action and these preexisting materials will be mixed with primary crater ejecta. Ejecta from large craters and especially basin forming events not only excavate preexisting, local materials, but also are capable of moving large amounts of material away from the crater. Thus mixing and lateral transport give rise to continuous deposits that contain materials from within and outside the primary crater. As a consequence ejecta of basins and large highland craters have eroded and mixed highland materials throughout geologic time and deposited them in depressions inside and between older crater structures.Because lunar mare surfaces contain few large craters, the mare regolith is built up by successive layers of predominantly primary ejecta. In contrast, the lunar highlands are dominated by the effects of large scale craters formed early in lunar history. These effects lead to thick fragmental deposits which are a mixture of primary crater material and local components. These deposits may also properly be named regolith though the term has been traditionally applied only to the relatively thin fine grained surficial deposit on mare and highland terranes generated during the past few billion year. We believe that the surficial highland regolith - generated over long periods of time - rests on massive fragmental units that have been produced during the early lunar history.     

Impact cratering on porous asteroids

The increasing evidence that many or even most asteroids are rubble piles underscores the need to understand how porous structures respond to impact. Experiments are reported in which craters are formed in porous, crushable, silicate materials by impacts at 2 km/s. Target porosity ranged from 34 to 96%. The experiments were performed at elevated acceleration on a centrifuge to provide similarity conditions that reproduce the physics of the formation of asteroid craters as large as several tens of kilometers in diameter.Crater and ejecta blanket formation in these highly porous materials is found to be markedly different from that observed in typical dry soils of low or moderate porosity. In highly porous materials, the compaction of the target material introduces a new cratering mechanism. The ejection velocities are substantially lower than those for impacts in less porous materials. The experiments imply that, while small craters on porous asteroids should produce ejecta blankets in the usual fashion, large craters form without ejecta blankets. In large impacts, most of the ejected material never escapes the crater. However, a significant crater bowl remains because of the volume created by permanent compaction of the target material. Over time, multiple cratering events can significantly increase the global density of an asteroid.     

Shallow and deep fresh impact craters in Hesperia Planum,Mars

The depths of 109 impact craters 2–16 km in diameter, located on the ridged plains materials of Hesperia Planum, Mars, have been measured from their shadow lengths using digital Viking Orbiter images (orbit numbers 417S–419S) and the PICS computer software. On the basis of their pristine morphology (very fresh lobate ejecta blankets, well preserved rim crests, and lack of superposed impact craters), 57 of these craters have been selected for detailed analysis of their spatial distribution and geometry. We find that south of 30°S, craters <6.0 km in diameter are markedly shallower than similar-sized craters equatorward of this latitude. No comparable relationship is observed for morphologically fresh craters >6.0 km diameter. We also find that two populations exist for older craters <6.0 km diameter. When craters that lack ejecta blankets are grouped on the basis of depth/diameter ratio, the deeper craters also typically lie equatorward of 30° S. We interpret the spatial variation in crater depth/diameter ratios as most likely due to a poleward increase in volatiles within the top 400 m of the surface at the times these craters were formed.     

Testing landslide and atmospheric-effects models for the formation of double-layered ejecta craters on Mars

Double-layered ejecta (DLE) craters are distinctive among the variety of crater morphologies observed on Mars, but the mechanism by which they form remains under debate. We assess two ejecta emplacement mechanisms: (1) atmospheric effects from ejecta curtain-induced vortices or a base surge and (2) ballistic emplacement followed by a landslide of ejecta assisted by either surface- or pore-ice. We conduct a morphological analysis of the ejecta facies for three DLE craters which impacted into irregular pre-existing topography. We find that the unique topographic environments affected the formation of grooves and the inner facies, and thus appear to be inconsistent with an atmospheric-effects origin but are supportive of the landslide hypothesis. We distinguish between the two landslide models (lubrication by either surface- or pore-ice) by assessing relationships between DLE crater ejecta and morphologic features indicative of buried ice deposits, including sublimation pits, ring-mold craters, expanded secondary craters, and excess ejecta craters. The association of DLE craters with these features suggests that surface ice was present at the time of the impacts that formed the DLE craters. We also compare the Froude numbers of DLE crater ejecta to landslides, and find that the ejecta of DLE craters are kinematically and frictionally similar to terrestrial landslides that overran glaciers. This suggests that the grooves on DLE craters may plausibly form through the same shear/splitting mechanism as the landslides. In summary, our analysis supports the hypothesis that DLE craters form through meteoroid impacts into decameters-thick surface ice deposits (emplaced during periods of higher obliquity) followed by ejecta sliding on the ice.     

Regolith transport in craters on Eros

Images of Eros from the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft reveal bright and dark albedo features on steep crater walls unlike markings previously observed on asteroids. These features have been attributed to the downslope movement of space-weathered regolith, exposing less weathered material (Science 292 (2001) 484; Meteor. Planet. Sci. 36 (2001) 1617; Icarus 155 (2002) 145). Here we present observations of the interiors of large craters (>1 km in diameter) to test this hypothesis and constrain the origin of the features. We find that bright regions in these craters correspond to steep slopes, consistent with previous work. The geographic distribution of craters with albedo variations shows no pattern and does not resemble the distribution of ponds, another phenomenon on Eros attributed to regolith movement. Shadows and other indications of topography are not observed at feature boundaries, implying that the transported layer is ?1 m thick. The presence of multiple bright and dark units on long slopes with sharp boundaries between them suggests that mobilized regolith may be halted by frictional or other effects before reaching the foot of the slope. Features on crater walls should darken at the same rate as bright ejecta deposits from crater formation; the lack of observed, morphologically fresh craters with bright interiors or ejecta suggests that the albedo patterns are younger than the most recently formed craters greater than about 100 m in diameter. Smaller or micrometeorite impacts, which would not necessarily leave evident deposits of bright ejecta, remain possible causes of albedo patterns. Although their effectiveness is difficult to assess, electrostatic processes and thermal creep are also candidates.     

On estimating contributions of basin ejecta to regolith deposits at lunar sites

Abstract— We have developed a quantitative model for predicting characteristics of ejecta deposits that result from basin‐sized cratering events. This model is based on impact crater scaling equations (Housen, Schmitt, and Holsapple 1983; Holsapple 1993) and the concept of ballistic sedimentation (Oberbeck 1975), and takes into account the size distribution of the individual fragments ejected from the primary crater. Using the model, we can estimate, for an area centered at the chosen location of interest, the average distribution of thicknesses of basin ejecta deposits within the area and the fraction of primary ejecta contained within the deposits. Model estimates of ejecta deposit thicknesses are calibrated using those of the Orientale Basin (Moore, Hodges, and Scott 1974) and of the Ries Basin (Hörz, Ostertag, and Rainey 1983). Observed densities of secondary craters surrounding the Imbrium and Orientale Basins are much lower than the modeled densities. Similarly, crater counts for part of the northern half of the Copernicus secondary cratering field are much lower than the model predicts, and variation in crater densities with distance from Copernicus is less than expected. These results suggest that mutual obliteration erases essentially all secondary craters associated with the debris surge that arises from the impacting primary fragments during ballistic sedimentation; if so, a process other than ballistic sedimentation is needed to produce observable secondary craters. Regardless, our ejecta deposit model can be useful for suggesting provenances of sampled lunar materials, providing information complementary to photogeological and remote sensing interpretations, and as a tool for planning rover traverses (e.g., Haskin et al. 1995, 2002).     

On the origin of the lunar smooth-plains

Before the Apollo 16 mission, the material of the Cayley Formation (a lunar smooth plains) was theorized to be of volcanic origin. Because Apollo 16 did not verify such interpretations, various theories have been published that consider the material to be ejecta of distant multiringed basins. Results presented in this paper indicate that the material cannot be solely basin ejecta. If smoothplains are a result of formation of these basins or other distant large craters, then the plains materials are mainly ejecta of secondary craters of these basins or craters with only minor contributions of primary-crater or basin ejecta. This hypothesis is based on synthesis of knowledge of the mechanics of ejection of material from impact craters, photogeologic evidence, remote measurements of surface chemistry, and petrology of lunar samples. Observations, simulations, and calculations presented in this paper show that ejecta thrown beyond the continuous deposits of large lunar craters produce secondary-impact craters that excavate and deposit masses of local material equal to multiples of that of the primary crater ejecta deposited at the same place. Therefore, the main influence of a large cratering event on terrain at great distances from such a crater is one of deposition of more material by secondary craters, rather than deposition of ejecta from the large crater. Examples of numerous secondary craters observed in and around the Cayley Formation and other smooth plains are presented. Evidence is given for significant lateral transport of highland debris by ejection from secondary craters and by landslides triggered by secondary impact. Primary-crater ejecta can be a significant fraction of a deposit emplaced by an impact crater only if the primary crater is nearby. Other proposed mechanisms for emplacement of smooth-plains formations are discussed, and implications regarding the origin of material in the continuous aprons surrounding large lunar craters is considered. It is emphasized that the importance of secondary-impact cratering in the highlands has in general been underestimated and that this process must have been important in the evolution of the lunar surface.     

Layered ejecta craters and the early water/ice aquifer on Mars

Abstract— A model for emplacement of deposits of impact craters is presented that explains the size range of Martian layered ejecta craters between 5 km and 60 km in diameter in the low and middle latitudes. The impact model provides estimates of the water content of crater deposits relative to volatile content in the aquifer of Mars. These estimates together with the amount of water required to initiate fluid flow in terrestrial debris flows provide an estimate of 21% by volume (7.6 × 10⁷km³) of water/ice that was stored between 0.27 and 2.5 km depth in the crust of Mars during Hesperian and Amazonian time. This would have been sufficient to supply the water for an ocean in the northern lowlands of Mars. The existence of fluidized craters smaller than 5 km diameter in some places on Mars suggests that volatiles were present locally at depths less than 0.27 km. Deposits of Martian craters may be ideal sites for searches for fossils of early organisms that may have existed in the water table if life originated on Mars.