No abstract

[1] The Orientale impact basin is the youngest and best-preserved lunar multi-ring basin and has, thus, been the focus of studies investigating basin-forming processes and final structures. A consensus about how multi-ring basins form, however, remains elusive. Here we numerically model the Orientale basin-forming impact with the aim of resolving some of the uncertainties associated with this basin. By using two thermal profiles estimating lunar conditions at the time of Orientale's formation and constraining the numerical models with crustal structures inferred from gravity data, we provide estimates for Orientale's impact energy (2-9 10 25 J), impactor size (50-80 km diameter), transient crater size ( 320-480 km), excavation depth (40-55 km), and impact melt volume ( 10 6 km 3 ). We also analyze the distribution and deformation of target material and compare our model results and Orientale observations with the Chicxulub crater to investigate similarities between these two impact structures.

17.06.13 KB. Ok to add published version to spiral, 6 months embargo elapsed. AG

The formation and structure of the Orientale basin on the Moon has been extensively studied in the past; however, estimates of its transient crater size, excavated volume and depth, and ejecta distribution remain uncertain. Here we present a new numerical model to reinvestigate the formation and structure of Orientale basin and better constrain impact parameters such as impactor size and velocity. Unlike previous models, the observed ejecta distribution and ejecta thickness were used as the primary constraints to estimate transient crater size—the best measure of impact energy. Models were also compared to basin morphology and morphometry, and subsurface structures derived from high‐resolution remote sensing observations and gravity data, respectively. The best fit model suggests a 100 km diameter impactor with a velocity of ~12 km s−1 formed the Orientale basin on a relatively “cold” Moon. In this impact scenario the transient crater diameter is ~400 km or 460 km depending on whether the crater is defined using the diameter of the excavation zone or the diameter of the growing cavity at the time of maximum crater volume, respectively. The volume of ejecta material is ~4.70 × 106 km3, in agreement with recent estimates of the Orientale ejecta blanket thickness from remote sensing studies. The model also confirms the remote sensing spectroscopic observations that no mantle material was excavated and deposited at Orientale's rim.