Abstract

Comparative Planetary Science
Detailed mapping of morphology of small lunar fresh crater using very high resolution datasets
Indhu Varatharajan
Ian A Crawford
University College London
The morphology of the small fresh crater (ntrolling the final stage of the impact forming event. The small fresh impact craters in airless bodies such as Moon preserve their morphology as there are no major erosion processes. The space weathering effects such as micrometeorites and solar wind are the only erosion processes in these airless bodies. Therefore, the major details of morphology of these craters are highly preserved until it is obliterated by the larger impacts. The detailed mapping of the crater floor, wall, rim, and ejecta using high resolution datasets would give greater details of the complex processes involved in the primary and secondary processes involved in crater formation. In the study, a fresh lunar crater on the mare basalt unit dated to be ~1.68 Ga in Oceanus Procellarum centered at 33.3ᵒ N 61.5ᵒ W is chosen for the detailed mapping. This ~5 km crater (Litchenberg B) preserves various morphological features including melts, fractures, boulders, slumping of wall, boulders, and ejecta. The depth to diameter ratio of the crater is measured to be 0.217. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) datasets having ~0.5 m/pixel spatial resolution and the Chandrayaan-1 Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) hyperspectral datasets having spatial resolution of 140 m/pixel are used to map the morphological and mineralogical details associated with the geology of the crater. Thus, the study helps in detailed understanding of the various processes that controls the morphology of the small fresh lunar impact craters.

Schedule

Monday
09:00 - 10:30
09:56
EX - LT3 (320)

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