1980•USRA Houston Repository (Lunar and Planetary Institute)Open access

Impact cratering in viscous targets: Laboratory experiments

Ronald Greeley, Jonathan Fink, Donald E. Gault, D. Snyder, J. E. Guest, P. H. Schultz

Abstract

Martian multilobed craters ("splosh" craters, rampart craters, etc.) may involve fluidization of ejecta as a result of entrained water, melted/vaporized ice, and /or aerodynamically decelerated ejecta. To determine the effects of target viscosity and yield strength on the formation and morphology of impact craters, 75 experiments were carried out in which target properties and impact energies were varied.

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Available abstract

Key concepts: Impact crater, Projectile, Ejecta, Geology, Plume, Viscosity, Extrapolation, Mechanics