New morphological mapping and interpretation of ejecta deposits from Orientale Basin on the Moon

Morse, Z. R.; Osinski, G. R.; Tornabene, L. L.

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2017.08.010

Cited by 24 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In conclusion, the Orientale impact downrange direction is interpreted to be 240° to 265°; therefore, the uprange direction is interpreted to be 60° to 85° (Figure ). Our estimate is consistent with previous studies of different features of the Orientale basin such as from ejecta grooves (Schultz & Papamarcos, ), central uplift ridge (Liu et al, ), and the distribution of ejecta facies (Morse et al, ), showing that the incoming bolide trajectory is from northeast to southwest.…”

Section: Spatial Distribution Of Secondary Cratersupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Given that the density of region M1 is apparently higher than most of the rest of the regions except for the high-density region, and the existence of a very low density at an azimuth around 240°, the scope of downrange of impact could be down south to 240°because the cross-range direction is generally higher in density than downrange direction for planforms in Figures 14c and 14d. In conclusion, the Orientale impact downrange direction is interpreted to be 240°to 265°; therefore, the uprange direction is interpreted to be 60°to 85° (Figure 13). Our estimate is consistent with previous studies of different features of the Orientale basin such as from ejecta grooves (Schultz & Papamarcos, 2010), central uplift ridge , and the distribution of ejecta facies (Morse et al, 2018), showing that the incoming bolide trajectory is from northeast to southwest.…”

Section: Journal Of Geophysical Research: Planetssupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Crater chains are mostly located in the azimuthal sector of 130°–350°, but there is a decline in the sector of 230°–280°, where only three chains are recognized and the density of secondaries in this region is also relatively lower than the nearby area (Figures and ). This direction corresponds to the downrange direction of the Orientale impact event proposed by several workers (Liu et al, ; Morse et al, ; Schultz & Papamarcos, ). In the azimuth range sector where the mare region is located, only one secondary chain, ~70 km long, is identified, located within 1–1.5 R from the Orientale rim crest at the azimuth close to 80° (Figure ).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 60%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Lunar Orientale Impact Basin Secondary Craters: Spatial Distribution, Size‐Frequency Distribution, and Estimation of Fragment Size

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Secondary impact craters, features created by projectiles ejected from a primary impact, contain important information about the primary cratering event and the nature and distribution of its ejecta. The Orientale impact basin (D ~ 930 km) is the youngest and the least degraded large impact basin on the Moon and has the most recognizable secondary impact craters. We identified and mapped 2,728 secondary craters in the investigated area of ~1.66 × 107 km2, covering an area from the rim of Orientale to six radii. Secondary crater diameters range from ~2 to 27 km, and the median diameter decreases as distance increases. Secondary craters are concentrated predominantly in the northwest and southwest. The ejecta deposit pattern inferred from secondary crater distribution suggests that the Orientale basin was formed by an oblique impact in which the downrange direction was 240°–265° in azimuth, and the incidence angle was steeper than 20°. The cumulative size‐frequency distribution of mapped secondary craters steepens as diameter increases and is very well approximated with a Weibull distribution with an exponent 1.32. A widely used crater scaling relationship predicts that the fragments that produced the secondary craters were predominantly in ~0.5–2‐km diameter range over the investigated area; the diameter of the largest fragment, however, decreases with increasing distance from Orientale. On the basis of the diameter of the largest secondary crater of Orientale, and other craters and basins, the largest secondary crater of the South Pole‐Aitken basin is estimated to be ~40 km in diameter. We explore the implications of these findings for the evolution of the megaregolith and future sample return missions.

show abstract

Section: Spatial Distribution Of Secondary Cratersupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Journal Of Geophysical Research: Planetssupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 60%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Lunar Orientale Impact Basin Secondary Craters: Spatial Distribution, Size‐Frequency Distribution, and Estimation of Fragment Size

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Ray‐like clusters are found predominantly in high‐standing, hummocky topography. Within the Orientale basin, portions of impact melt deposits (Morse et al, ; Scott et al, ) meet the criteria for inclusion as light plains. Directly beyond the continuous ejecta, some previously identified melt‐rich deposits from the Orientale basin (Morse et al, ; Scott et al, ) are also included.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Global Distribution of Lunar Light Plains From the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We present the first globally consistent map of lunar light plains from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera mosaics 100 m/pixel. Based on this map,~70% of light plains are likely related to the Orientale and Imbrium basins; however, many light plains deposits originated with local-and regional-scale impacts, nonmare volcanics (i.e., the Apennine Bench Formation), as well as ancient impact melt deposits that lack diagnostic small-scale features. Compositional evidence suggests that the light plains associated with basins (i.e., Cayley plains) form through substantial mixing with local materials, implying that ballistic sedimentation is a primary formation mechanism. Based on the distribution of light plains with respect to the Orientale and Imbrium basins, the stratigraphic extent of an individual basin extends to at least four basin radii. As such, the South Pole-Aitken basin modified at least 80% of the lunar surface. This work suggests that the entire lunar surface was modified to varying degrees at the time of large basin formation. This has implications for sample interpretations because any highland site within four radii of a large basin could potentially contain primary basin material or more local material that was redeposited by secondaries, neither of which is necessarily representative of the terrain upon which they are found.Plain Language Summary Light plains are a geologic unit often associated with large basin formation on the Moon and serve as a measure of the extent to which basins modify the surface. We outline the subcategories and possible formation mechanisms of light plains and present a new global map encompassing all light plains at unprecedented resolution and global consistency. We find that~70% of light plains are likely the result of only two large impact events. Because there are many such impacts on the Moon, this work suggests that the entire lunar surface has been modified by basin formation throughout its history. This is important to keep in mind for sample analysis and observations on the lunar surface because the materials observed at the surface today may have been moved there by large-impact events.

show abstract

“…Between the CR and ORR, the ejecta deposits are mixed with the impact melt deposits and km‐sized ejecta blocks giving a hummocky appearance. Beyond the CR, the vast ejecta blanket is characterized by the radial grooves and lineaments and mapped as the Hevilius Formation (Figure 2a) by the previous workers (e.g., Morse et al., 2018). Beyond the ejecta blanket, discontinuous rays and the secondary crater chains and clusters of the Orientale dominate the lunar surface for several thousand kilometers across the lunar surface.…”

Section: Geologic Settingmentioning

confidence: 81%

The Long‐Lived and Recent Seismicity at the Lunar Orientale Basin: Evidence From Morphology and Formation Ages of Boulder Avalanches, Tectonics, and Seismic Ground Motion

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The geologic observations and Apollo seismic records have undisputedly established that the Moon is seismically active (e.g., Kumar et al., 2019a; Nakamura et al., 1979; Watters et al., 2019), but with less activity than Mars (e.g., Banerdt et al., 2020). The formation ages of the youthful lobate scarps (thrust faults present in the lunar upper crust) and other faults (e.g., small grabens) suggest that the Moon has been tectonically active in the last tens to hundred million years (e.g.,

show abstract

New morphological mapping and interpretation of ejecta deposits from Orientale Basin on the Moon

Cited by 24 publications

References 25 publications

Lunar Orientale Impact Basin Secondary Craters: Spatial Distribution, Size‐Frequency Distribution, and Estimation of Fragment Size

Lunar Orientale Impact Basin Secondary Craters: Spatial Distribution, Size‐Frequency Distribution, and Estimation of Fragment Size

The Global Distribution of Lunar Light Plains From the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera

The Long‐Lived and Recent Seismicity at the Lunar Orientale Basin: Evidence From Morphology and Formation Ages of Boulder Avalanches, Tectonics, and Seismic Ground Motion

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About