Confirmation of saturation equilibrium conditions in crater populations

Details Confirmation of saturation equilibrium conditions in crater populations Confirmation of saturation equilibrium conditions in crater populations

Mar 1993

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1993lpi....24..611h&link_type=abstract

In Lunar and Planetary Inst., Twenty-Fourth Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Part 2: G-M p 611-612 (SEE N94-16173 03-91)

Mathematics

2

Ejecta, Lunar Maria, Lunar Surface, Mars Surface, Meteorite Craters, Planetary Craters, Planetary Geology, Populations, Power Series, Topography, Computerized Simulation, Fractals, Mathematical Models, Plains

Scientific paper

We have continued work on realistic numerical models of cratered surfaces, as first reported at last year's LPSC. We confirm the saturation equilibrium level with a new, independent test. One of us has developed a realistic computer simulation of a cratered surface. The model starts with a smooth surface or fractal topography, and adds primary craters according to the cumulative power law with exponent -1.83, as observed on lunar maria and Martian plains. Each crater has an ejecta blanket with the volume of the crater, feathering out to a distance of 4 crater radii. We use the model to test the levels of saturation equilibrium reached in naturally occurring systems, by increasing crater density and observing its dependence on various parameters. In particular, we have tested to see if these artificial systems reach the level found by Hartmann on heavily cratered planetary surfaces, hypothesized to be the natural saturation equilibrium level. This year's work gives the first results of a crater population that includes secondaries. Our model 'Gaskell-4' (September, 1992) includes primaries as described above, but also includes a secondary population, defined by exponent -4. We allowed the largest secondary from each primary to be 0.10 times the size of the primary. These parameters will be changed to test their effects in future models. The model gives realistic images of a cratered surface although it appears richer in secondaries than real surfaces are. The effect of running the model toward saturation gives interesting results for the diameter distribution. Our most heavily cratered surface had the input number of primary craters reach about 0.65 times the hypothesized saturation equilibrium, but the input number rises to more than 100 times that level for secondaries below 1.4 km in size.

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