Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Dec 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufm.p53d1552h&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #P53D-1552
Mathematics
Logic
[6022] Planetary Sciences: Comets And Small Bodies / Impact Phenomena, [6250] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Moon
Scientific paper
The lunar farside South Pole-Aitken Basin is the largest and oldest documented basin on the Moon and is thus of interest from the point of view of the scale of production of impact melt at large basin-event sizes and its ring structure and potential depth of sampling at such a large diameter. We used new LOLA data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter 1) to characterize the basin interior topography, 2) to assess the nature of the nearby and relatively pristine Orientale basin and compare it to the SPA interior, and 3) to compile a new global crater database of all lunar craters ≥20 km in diameter and to assess the population of impact craters superposed on the SPA interior and exterior. We find that impact crater size-frequency distribution plots show that the exterior of the SPA basin is similar to the most heavily cratered regions of the Moon, but that the interior of the basin has a deficiency of craters in the 20-64 km diameter crater range. One interpretation of these data is that some resurfacing process (or processes) has modified the superposed crater population. Among the candidates are 1) impact crater proximity weathering/degradation by adjacent (e.g., Apollo) and nearby (e.g., Orientale) impact basin ejecta, 2) volcanic resurfacing by early non-mare volcanism, cryptomaria and/or maria, and 3) viscous relaxation removing crater topography. We consider viscous relaxation of crater topography to be the least likely due to the wavelength dependence of the process (rim-crests should be preserved and thus detected in our crater counts). Careful analysis of the impact ejecta thickness radial decay suggests that it is an important resurfacing mechanism within a basin radius from the rim crest, but is unlikely to be sufficient to explain the observed deficiency. Morphometric analysis of impact craters, modeling, and simulations of volcanic flooding suggest that the deficiency may be related to the patchy distribution of cryptomaria, suspected from mineralogic remote sensing data to be present in parts of the SPA floor. Combined altimetry and mineralogy data suggest that these volcanic deposits are patchy in their distribution, and do not preclude the mafic melt sheet deposit making up a significant part of the exposed SPA basin floor.
Fassett Caleb
Head James W.
Kadish Seth
Mazarico Erwan
Neumann Gregory A.
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