The theoretical plausibility of central pit crater formation via melt drainage

Elder, C. M.; Bray, V. J.; Melosh, H. J.

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.09.014

Cited by 28 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 62 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, the melt‐drainage model has been shown to be ineffective at producing central pits on volatile‐poor bodies (Elder et al. ). And our observation that most floor pits have uplifted bedrock, either exposed in pit rims or buried just below the surface around the pit, suggests that both uplift and collapse are involved in central pit formation for both floor and summit pits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Comparison of central pit craters on Mars, Mercury, Ganymede, and the Saturnian satellites

Barlow

Ferguson

Horstman

et al. 2017

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We report on the first results of a large‐scale comparison study of central pit craters throughout the solar system, focused on Mars, Mercury, Ganymede, Rhea, Dione, and Tethys. We have identified 10 more central pit craters on Rhea, Dione, and Tethys than have previously been reported. We see a general trend that the median ratio of the pit to crater diameter (Dp/Dc) decreases with increasing gravity and decreasing volatile content of the crust. Floor pits are more common on volatile‐rich bodies while summit pits become more common as crustal volatile content decreases. Uplifted bedrock from below the crater floor occurs in the central peak upon which summit pits are found and in rims around floor pits, which may or may not break the surface. Peaks on which summit pits are found on Mars and Mercury share similar characteristics to those of nonpitted central peaks, indicating that some normal central peaks undergo an additional process to create summit pits. Martian floor pits do not appear to be the result of a central peak collapse as the median ratio of the peak to crater diameter (Dpk/Dc) is about twice as high for central peaks/summit pits than Dp/Dc values for floor pits. Median Dpk/Dc is twice as high for Mars as for Mercury, reflecting differing crustal strength between the two bodies. Results indicate that a complicated interplay of crustal volatiles, target strength, surface gravity, and impactor energy along with both uplift and collapse are involved in central pit formation. Multiple formation models may be required to explain the range of central pits seen throughout the solar system.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…; Elder et al. ), collapse of brecciated material in the center of the crater or peak (Croft ), release of impact‐induced volatiles (Wood et al. ; Bray et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of central pit craters on Mars, Mercury, Ganymede, and the Saturnian satellites

Barlow

Ferguson

Horstman

et al. 2017

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…) or features associated with impact melt drainage (Elder et al. ) because the rims are constructional features. A physical model to explain the formation of the Pangboche pit remains to be developed in what may well be a volatile‐free environment at the summit of Olympus Mons because they are morphologically different from central pits elsewhere; it is possible that the pits are related to deformation of the floor that was associated with the slump features from the walls rather than more common mechanisms involving volatiles.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cratering on Mars with almost no atmosphere or volatiles: Pangboche crater

Mouginis-Mark

2014

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pangboche crater (17.2°N, 226.7°E; 10.4 km dia.) lies close to the summit of Olympus Mons volcano, Mars, at an elevation of~20.9 km above the datum. Given a scale height of 11.1 km for the atmosphere, this relatively large fresh crater most likely formed at an atmospheric pressure <1 mbar in essentially volatile-free young lava flows. Detailed analysis of Pangboche crater from High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) and Context Camera (CTX) images reveals that volatile-related features (e.g., fluidized ejecta layers and pitted floor material) are absent. In contrast, abundant impact melt occurs on the floor, inner walls, and rim of the crater, and there is an extensive field of secondary craters that extend up to approximately 45 km from the rim crest. All of these attributes argue that it was the absence of volatiles in the target rocks at the time of crater formation, rather than the thin atmosphere, which had a controlling influence on crater morphology. Digital elevation data derived from the CTX images reveal that Pangboche crater has a depth of about 954 m (depth/diameter = approximately 0.092) and that uplifted target rocks comprise about 58% of the relief of the 180 m-high north rim. As the target material comprised a sequence of layered lava flows, Pangboche crater may well represent the best crater on Mars for direct comparison with craters formed on the Moon (permitting variations in gravitational effects to be investigated) or on Mercury (allowing the role of the atmosphere to be studied).

show abstract

“…Our theory is also a plausible explanation for or a factor in the cases of expanding conduits potentially induced by melting [Elder et al, 2012]. In this parallel situation, the melting process is also dictated by mass or heat transfer between the wall and the bulk fluid.…”

Section: Implications and Other Relevant Problemsmentioning

confidence: 69%

Linear permeability evolution of expanding conduits due to feedback between flow and fast phase change

Wang

Cardenas

2017

Geophysical Research Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Conduits are ubiquitous and critical pathways for many fluids relevant for geophysical processes such as magma, water, and gases. Predicting flow through conduits is challenging when the conduit geometry coevolves with the flow. We theoretically show that the permeability (k) of a conduit whose walls are eroding due to fast phase change increases linearly with time because of a self‐reinforcing mechanism. This simple result is surprising given complex feedbacks between flow, transport, and phase change. The theory is congruent with previous experimental observations of fracture dissolution in calcite. Supporting computational fracture dissolution experiments showed that k only slightly increases until the dissolution front reaches the narrowest conduit constriction, after which the linear evolution of k manifests. The theory holds across multiple scales and a broad range of Peclet and Damkohler numbers and thus advances the prediction of dynamic mass fluxes through expanding conduits in various geologic and environmental settings.

show abstract

The theoretical plausibility of central pit crater formation via melt drainage

Cited by 28 publications

References 62 publications

Comparison of central pit craters on Mars, Mercury, Ganymede, and the Saturnian satellites

Comparison of central pit craters on Mars, Mercury, Ganymede, and the Saturnian satellites

Cratering on Mars with almost no atmosphere or volatiles: Pangboche crater

Linear permeability evolution of expanding conduits due to feedback between flow and fast phase change

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About