Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Dec 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufm.p33a1559d&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #P33A-1559
Mathematics
Logic
[5400] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets, [5420] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Impact Phenomena, Cratering
Scientific paper
The study of crater morphology (depth to diameter ratio) can bring valuable information on the structural properties of the surface and sub-surface of the impacted body. We report here on the analysis of images of the cratered terrains of the Saturn’s moon Enceladus recorded between 2005 and 2008 by the ISS instrument onboard the Cassini spacecraft. We used a 3D morphological model (Buratti and Veverka, 1985) coupled with a regolith scattering model (Hapke, 1993, 2001) in order to analyze the photometric behavior of a sample of a set of 50 Enceladus’ craters. This method enables us to verify the general photometric properties of Enceladus’ regolith (single scattering albedo and asymmetry factor in very good agreement with previous studies - e.g. Verbiscer and Veverka, 1994) and derive for the first time robust estimations of the craters’ depth. As previously done for other bodies (Schenk, 1989), we used this new information to plot the depth/diameter ratio as a function of the diameter for all the craters of our sample. Such a diagram allows to determine the presence of a transition diameter, which usually defines the transition between two regimes of crater formation (simple to complex craters) and is diagnostic of the structural properties of the crust. The value of the transition diameter for Enceladus is found close to the one of Mimas but slightly differs from the empirical general law derived by Schenk (1989) (inversely proportional to surface gravity), being globally lower than for other icy bodies. We will discuss the possible implications of such a low value on the Enceladus’s geological history and crust properties.
Brahic Andre
Degiorgio K.
Ferrari Cecile
Rodriguez Sebastien
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