The origin of lunar crater rays

Lunar rays are filamentous, high-albedo deposits occurring radial or subradial to impact craters. The nature and origin of lunar rays have long been the subjects of major controversies. We have determined the origin of selected lunar ray segments utilizing Earth-based spectral and radar data as well as FeO, TiO₂, and optical maturity maps produced from Clementine UVVIS images. These include rays associated with Tycho, Olbers A, Lichtenberg, and the Messier crater complex. It was found that lunar rays are bright because of compositional contrast with the surrounding terrain, the presence of immature material, or some combination of the two. Mature “compositional” rays such as those exhibited by Lichtenberg crater, are due entirely to the contrast in albedo between ray material containing highlands-rich primary ejecta and the adjacent dark mare surfaces. “Immaturity” rays are bright due to the presence of fresh, high-albedo material. This fresh debris was produced by one or more of the following: (1) the emplacement of immature primary ejecta, (2) the deposition of immature local material from secondary craters, (3) the action of debris surges downrange of secondary clusters, and (4) the presence of immature interior walls of secondary impact craters. Both composition and state-of-maturity play a role in producing a third (“combination”) class of lunar rays. The working distinction between the Eratosthenian and Copernican Systems is that Copernican craters still have visible rays whereas Eratosthenian-aged craters do not. Compositional rays can persist far longer than 1.1 Ga, the currently accepted age of the Copernican-Eratosthenian boundary. Hence, the mere presence of rays is not a reliable indication of crater age. The optical maturity parameter should be used to define the Copernican-Eratosthenian boundary. The time required for an immature surface to reach the optical maturity index saturation point could be defined as the Copernican Period.     

Determining proportions of lunar crater populations by fitting crater size distribution

We determine the proportions of two mixed crater populations distinguishable by size distributions on the Moon. A "multiple power-law" model is built to formulate crater size distribution N(D) ∝ D-αwhose slope α varies with crater diameter D. This model is then used to fit size distributions of lunar highland craters and Class 1 craters. The former is characterized by α = 1.17 ± 0.04, 1.88 ± 0.07,3.17 ± 0.10 and 1.40 ± 0.15 for D ranges ~ 10- 49, 49- 120, 120- 251 and ~ 251- 2500 km, while the latter has a single slope α = 1.96 ± 0.14 for about 10- 100 km. They are considered as Population 1 and2 crater size distributions, whose sum is then fitted to the global size distribution of lunar craters with D between 10 and 100 km. Estimated crater densities of Population 1 and 2 are 44 × 10-5and 5 × 10-5km-2respectively, leading to the proportion of the latter being 10%. This result underlines the need for more thoroughly investigating Population 1 craters and their related impactors, the primordial main-belt asteroids, which dominated the late heavy bombardment.     

A study of lunar impact crater size-distributions

Discrepancies in published crater frequency data prompted this study of lunar crater distributions. Effects modifying production size distributions of impact craters such as surface lava flows, blanketing by ejecta, superposition, infilling, and abrasion of craters, mass wasting, and the contribution of secondary and volcanic craters are discussed. The resulting criteria have been applied in the determination of the size distributions of unmodified impact crater populations in selected lunar regions of different ages. The measured cumulative crater frequencies are used to obtain a general calibration size distribution curve by a normalization procedure. It is found that the lunar impact crater size distribution is largely constant in the size range 0.3 km ?D ? 20 km for regions with formation ages between ≈ 3 × 10⁹ yr and ? 4 × 10⁹ yr. A polynomial of 4th degree, valid in the size range 0.8 km ?D ? 20 km, and a polynomial of 7th degree, valid in the size range 0.3 km ?D ? ? 20 km, have been approximated to the logarithm of the cumulative crater frequencyN as a function of the logarithm of crater diameterD. The resulting relationship can be expressed asN ～D ^α(D) where α is a function depending onD. This relationship allows the comparison of crater frequencies in different size ranges. Exponential relationships with constant α, commonly used in the literature, are shown to inadequately approximate the lunar impact crater size distribution. Deviations of measured size distributions from the calibration distribution are strongly suggestive of the existence of processes having modified the primary impact crater population.     

Radial variation of lunar crater rim topography

The variation of rim topography as a function of range from the crater rim has been determined for a group of morphologically fresh lunar craters (D = 10–140 km) using the recent series of Lunar Topographic Orthophotomaps. The rate at which exterior crater topography converges with the surrounding surface is highly variable along different radial directions at individual craters as well as between different craters. At several craters, oblique impact appears to have contributed to azimuthal elevation/range variations. The topographic expression of a crater above the surrounding surface typically decreases to one-tenth of the estimated rim height at a range of 1.3R–1.7R, well within the rough-textured ejecta deposit surrounding the crater. Comparisons with terrestrial craters suggest that the topographic crater rim is predominantly a structural feature. In most craters large portions of the hummocky facies and virtually all of the radial facies, in spite of their rough appearance and local topographic variations, provide no significant net topographic addition to the preexisting surface. The extreme variability of crater rim topography strongly suggests that ejecta thicknesses are highly variable and that a unique power-law expression cannot truly represent the radial variation of ejecta deposit thickness.     

Geology of the lunar farside crater Necho

The lunar farside crater Necho (30 km diameter) displays intricate morphological and structural characteristics. The highland setting provides a complex impact site when compared with the relatively uniform setting of mare craters. Therefore, the effects of pre-impact topography and structure play a dominant role in Necho's formation and modification. Necho's bright ejecta, extensive rays, fresh morphology, and lack of superposed craters indicate that it is extremely young. The asymmetric distribution of ejecta materials may be due to substrate effects, topographic shalowing, or oblique impact.Necho's interior is divided into five physiographic units based on morphologic differences: three floor units (Necho does not display a true flat floor), one hilly central unit, and the wall unit which includes terraces and smooth walls. The interior of the crater also exhibits an unusual asymmetry in the prevalence of terraced units on the western wall. Interior morphology and terrace orientations are probably the result of pre-impact effects. Structural and topographic orientations associated with three large pre-existing degraded craters dominate the impact site.     

Formation age of the lunar crater Giordano Bruno

Abstract— Using the Terrain Camera onboard the Japanese lunar explorer, SELENE (Kaguya), we obtained new high‐resolution images of the 22‐kilometer‐diameter lunar crater Giordano Bruno. Based on crater size‐frequency measurements of small craters (<200 m in diameter) superposed on its continuous ejecta, the formation age of Giordano Bruno is estimated to be 1 to 10 Ma. This is constructive evidence against the crater's medieval age formation hypothesis.     

A photometric investigation of the lunar crater rays

This investigation deals with accurate photometric data concerning a number of rays of Tycho, Copernicus, Kepler, and Aristarchus. They have been derived from plates taken at the Yerkes Observatory in a night of a total lunar eclipse near phase angle 0°. By comparing the normal albedo with that of the surroundings of the rays we found that they can be interpreted as samples of telescopically unresolved bright patches. The fractional areak covered by these patches varies along the ray and shows that they are composed of a number of separate ray elements. The observed value ofk is in accordance with counts on a Ranger photograph.The distribution of the brightness along the rays has also been compared with the mass distribution of the ejecta in the rays around terrestrial explosion craters. The mean length of the lunar rays is in full accordance with its extrapolated terrestrial value. We cannot assume, however, that the rays are regions covered with a homogeneous layer of white powder, because the comparison with the terrestrial explosion craters gives an unprobable value for the height of the layer of the ejecta. The same results follow now from the photometric properties of the rays.From a comparison with the difference in albedo at the Surveyor's footprints follows the suggestion that the lunar rays are composed of bright patches, where the surface material came into a state of lower porosity, while it has a higher porosity in the dark halos around the craters. A suspected dark halo around Tycho has photometrically been measured and the results prove that it really exists. Kepler also shows a very weak halo.     

Effects of lava flows on lunar crater populations

It is shown that endogenic lava flow processes can be identified by their characteristic effects on lunar crater size distributions without necessarily being able to recognise individual flows on the photographs studied. The thickness of lava flows or a series of flows can be estimated from these crater size distribution characteristics. The lava flow histories of the Apollo landing sites 11, 12 and 15 are discussed in detail. The thicknesses of the most recent (3–3.4 × 10⁹ years ago) flows there and of the youngest flows in an area in south-west Mare Imbrium (3 × 10⁹ years) are found to range between 30 and 60 m. The subsequent flow episodes at the landing sites showing up in the crater size distributions can be related to differences in the radiometric ages of the respective lunar rocks.     

The lunar crater Giordano Bruno as seen with optical roughness imagery

Images acquired by the LRO NAC allow 3D phase-ratio imagery of several areas in the crater Giordano Bruno. This is a new optical, remote-sensing technique that allows a determination of the optical roughness of the lunar surface. Our study confirms complicated impact melt movement on the flanks and the floor of the crater. In many cases, however, flow structures seen on the inner wall can be attributed to regolith/debris taluses rather than impact melt flows. It was found that the whirlpool-like formation seen near the western side of the crater Giordano Bruno has a small central depression that can be interpreted as either a vortex cavity or a feature which resembles such a vortex formed by viscous flows coming from the crater flanks. We discuss several features that confirm the young age of the crater, concluding, however, that it was not formed within human history; its age is, likely, on the order of 1 My.     

Laboratory simulation of the herringbone pattern associated with lunar secondary crater chains

V-shaped ridge components of the herringbone pattern associated with lunar secondary crater chains have been simulated by simultaneous and nearly simultaneous impact of two projectiles near one another. The impact velocities and angles of the projectiles were similar to those of the fragments that produced secondary craters found at various ranges from large lunar craters.Variables found to affect the included angles of the V-shaped ridges are: relative time of impact of the projectiles, impact angle, relative projectile mass, and azimuth angle of the crater chain relative to the projection of the flight line onto the target surface. The functional relationships between the forms of the ridges and many of these variables are similar to those observed for lunar V-shaped ridges.Comparison of the magnitudes of the ridge angles of both laboratory crater pairs and secondary crater chains of the crater Copernicus implies that material was ejected from Copernicus at angles in excess of 60°, measured from the normal, to form many of Copernicus' satellitic craters. Moreover, other independent calculations presented indicate that many of the fragments that produced secondary craters also ricocheted to produce tertiary craters.Application of the study to identification of isolated secondary craters and to the determination of the origin of large lunar craters is discussed.     

Martian planetwide crater distributions: Implications for geologic history and surface processes

Population-density maps of craters in three size ranges (0.6 to 1.2 km, 4 to 10 km, and >20 km in diameter) were compiled for most of Mars from Mariner 9 imagery. These data provide: historical records of the eolian processes (0.6 to 1.2 km craters); stratigraphic, relative, and absolute timescales (4 to 10 km craters); and a history of the early postaccretional evolution of the uplands (> 20 km craters).Based on the distribution of large craters (>20 km diameters), Mars is divisible into two general classes of terrain, densely cratered and very lightly cratered—a division remarkably like the uplands-maria dichotomy of the moon. It is probable that this bimodal character in the density distribution of large craters arose from an abrupt transition in the impact flux rate from an early intense period associated with the tailing off of accretion to an extended quiescent epoch, not from a void in geological activity during much of Mars' history. Radio-isotope studies of Apollo lunar samples show that this transition occurred on the moon in a short time.The intermediate-sized craters (4 to 10 km diameter) and the small-sized craters (0.6 to 1.2 km diameter) appear to be genetically related. The smaller ones are apparently secondary impact craters generated by the former. Most of the craters in the larger of these two size classes appear fresh and uneroded, although many are partly buried by dust mantles. Poleward of the 40° parallels the small fresh craters are notably absent owing to these mantles. The density of small craters is highest in an irregular band centered at 20°S. This band coincides closely with (1) the zone of permanent low-albedo markings; (2) the “wind equator” (the latitude of zero net north or south transport at the surface); and (3) a band that includes a majority of the small dendritic channels. Situated in the southermost part of the equatorial unmantled terrain which extends from about 40°N to 40°S, this band is apparently devoid of even a thin mantle. Because this belt is also coincident with the latitutde of maximum solar insolation (periapsis occurs near summer solstice), we suggest that this band arises from the asymmetrical global wind patterns at the surface and that the band probably follows the latitude of maximum heating which migrates north and south from 25°N to 25°S within the unmantled terrain on a 50,000 year timescale.The population of intermediate-sized craters (4–10 km diameter) appears unaffected by the eolian mantles, at least within the ±45° latitudes. Hence the local density of these craters is probably a valid indicator of the relative age of surfaces generated during the period since the uplands were intensely bombarded and eroded. It now appears that the impact fluxes at Mars and the moon have been roughly the same over the last 4 b.y. because the oldest postaccretional, mare-like surfaces on Mars and the moon display about the same crater density. If so, the nearness of Mars to the asteroid belt has not generated a flux 10 to 25 times greater than the lunar flux. Whereas the lunar maria show a variation of about a factor of three in crater density from the oldest to the youngest major units, analogous surfaces on Mars show a variation between 30 and 50. This implies that periods of active eolian erosion, tectonic evolution, volcanic eruption, and possibly fluvial modification have been scattered throughout Martian history since the formation and degradation of the martian uplands and not confined to small, ancient or recent, epochs. These processes are surely active on the planet today.     

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.     

Geology and stratigraphy of King crater, lunar farside

Clementine and photographic data sets have been used to investigate the crustal stratigraphy and geology of King crater on the lunar farside (120°E, 5.5°N). Pre-existing topographic regimes or stress fields dominate many structures in the crater, which has excavated materials from depths of up to 14 km. The upper crust in the area is noritic anorthosite, grading to a more anorthositic signature with depth. A possible batholithic intrusion is also present in a 15-km-wide band, extending from the southern crater floor to at least 50 km north of King, and from near-surface levels down to at least the excavation depth of the crater. It is generally feldspathic, but is cut by mafic dykes now visible in the north wall. King also shows evidence for the presence of a cryptomare, exposed in regions of the peaks and in dark halo craters within the ejecta blanket. Localized olivine-bearing mineralogies are observed on the central peaks, suggesting isolated pockets of troctolitic mineralogies to have been present at 8- to 14-km depths. Copious volumes of crystalline melt produced from the impact event cover King’s floor to a maximum thickness of 30-60 m, and have pooled in a number of natural depressions outside of the main crater. The main pool in the pre-existing A1-Tusi crater has a minimum depth of 150 m. Domes on the crater floor are verified as nonvolcanic in origin, and did not act as a source for any of the lava-like materials in King.     

Analysis of crater distributions in mare units on the lunar far side

Mare material is asymmetrically distributed on the Moon. The Earth-facing hemisphere, where the crust is believed to be 26 km thinner than on the farside, contains substantially more basaltic mare material. Using Lunar Topographic Orthophoto Maps, we calculated the thickness of the mare material in three farside craters, Aitken (0.59 km), Isaev (1.0 km), and Tsiolkovskiy (1.75 km). We also studied crater frequency distribution in five farside mare units (Aitken, Isaev, Lacus Solitudinis, Langemak, and Tsiolkovskiy) and one light plains unit (in Mendeleev). Nearly 10 000 farside craters were counted. Analysis of the crater frequency on the light plains unit gives an age of 4.3 billion yr. Crater frequency distributions on the mare units indicate ages of 3.7 and 3.8 billion yr, suggesting that the units are distributed over a narrow time period of approximately 100 million yr. Returned lunar samples from nearside maria give dates as young as 3.1 billion yr. The results of this study suggest that mare basalt emplacement on the far side ceased before it did on the near side.     

Scaling impact melting and crater dimensions: Implications for the lunar cratering record

Abstract— The dimensions of large craters formed by impact are controlled to a large extent by gravity, whereas the volume of impact melt created during the same event is essentially independent of gravity. This “differential scaling” fosters size-dependent changes in the dynamics of impact-crater and basin formation as well as in the final morphologies of the resulting structures. A variety of such effects can be observed in the lunar cratering record, and some predictions can be made on the basis of calculations of impact melting and crater dimensions. Among them are the following: (1) as event magnitude increases, the volume of melt created relative to that of the crater will grow, and more will be retained inside the rim of the crater or basin. (2) The depth of melting will exceed the depth of excavation at diameters that essentially coincide with both the inflection in the depth-diameter trend and the simple-to-complex transition. (3) The volume of melt will exceed that of the transient cavity at a cavity diameter on the order of the diameter of the Moon; this would arguably correspond to a Moon-melting event. (4) Small lunar craters only rarely display exterior flows of impact melt because the relatively small volumes of melt created can become choked with clasts, increasing the melt's viscosity and chilling it rapidly. Larger craters and basins should suffer little from such a process. (5) Deep melting near the projectile's axis of penetration during larger events will yield a progression in central-structure morphology; with growing event magnitude, this sequence should range from single peaks through multiple peaks to peak rings. (6) The minimum depth of origin of central-peak material should coincide with the maximum depth of melting; the main central peak in a crater the size of Tycho should have had a preimpact depth of close to 15 km.     

A description of the crater Tsiolkovsky on the lunar far side

Although researchers in the last decade have been primarily concerned with the exotic findings of the more distant planets and moons in our solar system, as given by the Voyager series, there is still much work to be done on our nearer neighbours, including the Moon. This paper summarizes some basic age dating of a portion of the lunar surface, namely the mare in the crater Tsiolkovsky on the lunar far side.Using the Apollo 15 panoramic camera photographs, the cumulative crater frequency (N km^-2) relative to crater diameter (D) distribution has been obtained for the mare in the crater Tsiolkovsky. The diameter size range sampled was 0.07 km < D < 1 km. A total of 12 604 craters were counted and their average apparent diameters measured. There were 85 sample areas on the mare surface which were chosen at random, after exclusion of blanketed, volcanic or secondary cratered areas. It was found that a large proportion of the crater floor contains endogenic features, especially volcanic vents at approximately D = 0.3 km. An additional 7 areas of interest were also examined in detail for comparison with areas of purely primary impact craters. Evidence for up to 8 lava floodings can be detected from the size-frequency distributions although no visual data, e.g., flow lobes, can be seen on the mare surface.The total size-frequency distribution for all the areas is coincident with Neukum et al. (1975a and b) Calibration Distribution in the size range 0.25 km < D < 1 km which is at the smallest crater diameters that they obtained. Neukum et al. (1975a and b) give their distribution as a polynomial of 7th degree. However, in this present study a variation is indicated in the steepening of the curve for D < 0.1 km.The results also approximate (but only for D < 0.6 km) the distribution obtained by Shoemaker et al. (1970) in the range 100 m < D < 3 km where N ~ D ^-2.9. The best fit line reached for the data given here is N ~ D ^-2.682.Comparison of the distribution with plots for the maria at Apollo 11, 12, and 15 landing sites show that Tsiolkovsky mare is 3.51 ± 0.1 × 10⁹ yr old. This agrees with other workers (see Gornitz, 1973) who place it between Mare Tranquillitatis (Apollo 11 radiometric dating: 3.5 to 3.9 aeons) and Oceanus Procellarum (Apollo 12: 3.5 to 3.4 aeons). There are no rock samples from Tsiolkovsky to given an absolute age.This places Tsiolkovsky mare within the weighted mean of the age range (1.0 to 4.3 × 10⁹ yr old) of the maria on the Moon. From this it can be concluded that the processes producing the vast basalt outpourings seen on the Moon's face apply for the far side also and that there is a linking factor for the whole Moon.     

Mars: The evolutionary history of the northern lowlands based on crater counting and geologic mapping

The geologic history of planetary surfaces is most effectively determined by joining geologic mapping and crater counting which provides an iterative, qualitative and quantitative method for defining relative ages and absolute model ages. Based on this approach, we present spatial and temporal details regarding the evolution of the Martian northern plains and surrounding regions.The highland–lowland boundary (HLB) formed during the pre-Noachian and was subsequently modified through various processes. The Nepenthes Mensae unit along the northern margins of the cratered highlands, was formed by HLB scarp-erosion, deposition of sedimentary and volcanic materials, and dissection by surface runoff between 3.81 and 3.65 Ga. Ages for giant polygons in Utopia and Acidalia Planitiae are $～$ 3.75 Ga and likely reflect the age of buried basement rocks. These buried lowland surfaces are comparable in age to those located closer to the HLB, where a much thinner, post-HLB deposit is mapped. The emplacement of the most extensive lowland surfaces ended between 3.75 and 3.4 Ga, based on densities of craters generally $>3\mathrm{km}$ in diameter. Results from the polygonal terrain support the existence of a major lowland depocenter shortly after the pre-Noachian formation of the northern lowlands. In general, northern plains surfaces show gradually younger ages at lower elevations, consistent local to regional unit emplacement and resurfacing between 3.6 and 2.6 Ga. Elevation levels and morphology are not necessarily related, and variations in ages within the mapped units are found, especially in units formed and modified by multiple geological processes. Regardless, most of the youngest units in the northern lowlands are considered to be lavas, polar ice, or thick mantle deposits, arguing against the ocean theory during the Amazonian Period (younger than about 3.15 Ga).All ages measured in the closest vicinity of the steep dichotomy escarpment are also 3.7 Ga or older. The formation ages of volcanic flanks at the HLB (e.g., Alba Mons (3.6–3.4 Ga) and the last fan at Apollinaris Mons, 3.71 Ga) may give additional temporal constraint for the possible existence of any kind of Martian ocean before about 3.7 Ga. It seems to reflect the termination of a large-scale, precipitation-based hydrological cycle and major geologic processes related to such cycling.     

Crater modification and geologic activity in Enceladus' heavily cratered plains: Evidence from the impact crater distribution

Although we can observe current activity on Saturn's satellite Enceladus with Cassini, insight into past activity is best achieved (for now) through studying the impact crater distributions. Furthermore, approximation of terrain ages can only be attained through calculations using crater densities and estimations of impact rates in the saturnian system. Here we focus on what the impact crater distribution in Enceladus' heavily cratered plains can tell us about Enceladus' geologic history. We use Cassini ISS images to count craters in the heavily cratered plains on Enceladus, along with Rhea, Dione, Tethys and Mimas as references, to develop and compare their size-frequency distributions. Comparisons of our counts show that Enceladus' cratered plains distribution is unique in that it appears to have a relative deficiency of craters for diameters ?2 km and ?6 km compared to the other satellites' heavily cratered plains. Our data also indicates that the impact crater density within the cratered plains changes with latitude. Specifically, both the north and south mid-latitude regions have approximately three times higher density than the equatorial region. We hypothesize that the “missing” small and large craters in Enceladus' cratered plains is due to a combination of viscous relaxation of the larger craters, and burial of the relaxed large craters and small craters by south polar plume and possibly E-ring material. We also conclude that the spatial density distribution is not consistent with recent polar wander.     

Meteor storm evidence against the recent formation of lunar crater Giordano Bruno

Abstract— It has been suggested that the formation of the 22 km diameter lunar crater Giordano Bruno was witnessed in June 1178 A.D. To date, this hypothesis has not been well tested. Such an impact on the Earth would be “civilization threatening”. Previous studies have shown that the formation of Giordano Bruno would lead to the arrival of 10 million tonnes of ejecta in the Earth's atmosphere in the following week. I calculate that this would cause a week‐long meteor storm potentially comparable to the peak of the 1966 Leonids storm. The lack of any known historical records of such a storm is evidence against the recent formation of Giordano Bruno. Other tests of the hypothesis are also discussed, with emphasis on the lack of corroborating evidence for a very recent formation of the crater.