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The size of complex craters

Keith A. Holsapple

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Abstract

Lunar craters larger than about 15 km and terrestrial craters larger than about 3 km in diameter presumably underwent gravity-driven, 'late-stage' collapse that modified an initial transient bowl-shaped 'simple' crater into the flat-floored complex craters observed. These same mechanisms were operative for the larger craters on other solar system bodies, at a threshold size inversely proportional to gravity. This paper presents a new look at the scaling relations for these complex craters.

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What this paper is about

Lunar craters larger than about 15 km and terrestrial craters larger than about 3 km in diameter presumably underwent gravity-driven, 'late-stage' collapse that modified an initial transient bowl-shaped 'simple' crater into the flat-floored complex craters observed. These same mechanisms were operative for the larger craters on other solar system bodies, at a threshold size inversely proportional to gravity. This paper presents a new look at the scaling relations for these complex craters.

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Available abstract

Lunar craters larger than about 15 km and terrestrial craters larger than about 3 km in diameter presumably underwent gravity-driven, 'late-stage' collapse that modified an initial transient bowl-shaped 'simple' crater into the flat-floored complex craters observed. These same mechanisms were operative for the larger craters on other solar system bodies, at a threshold size inversely proportional to gravity. This paper presents a new look at the scaling relations for these complex craters.

Key concepts: Impact crater, Geology, Astrobiology, Lunar craters, Physics

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