New crater on the Moon and a swarm of secondaries

•LROC images revealed a new 18.8m diameter crater formed on 17 March 2013.•Details of ejecta distribution and the structure of the regolith are revealed.•Surface reflectivity properties are affected for distances greater than fifty crater radii.•Secondary impacts formed up to 30km distant from this...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Icarus (New York, N.Y. 1962) N.Y. 1962), 2015-05, Vol.252, p.229-235
Main Authors: Robinson, Mark S., Boyd, Aaron K., Denevi, Brett W., Lawrence, Samuel J., McEwen, Alfred S., Moser, Danielle E., Povilaitis, Reinhold Z., Stelling, Richard W., Suggs, Robert M., Thompson, Shane D., Wagner, Robert V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Craters
Ejecta
Geological processes
Impact processes
Lunar spacecraft
Measuring instruments
Meters
Micrometeorites
Moon
Moon, surface
Reflectivity
Regolith
Regoliths
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Summary:•LROC images revealed a new 18.8m diameter crater formed on 17 March 2013.•Details of ejecta distribution and the structure of the regolith are revealed.•Surface reflectivity properties are affected for distances greater than fifty crater radii.•Secondary impacts formed up to 30km distant from this new primary crater. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera images acquired both before and after the formation of an 18.8m diameter crater on 17 March 2013 reveal intricate details of ejecta distribution and the structure of the top two meters of the regolith. Our observations indicate that (1) the regolith is mature down to several tens of cm and immature below one meter, (2) surface reflectivity properties are affected for distances greater than fifty crater radii, and (3) large numbers of secondary impacts (splotches) formed up to 30km distant from this new primary crater. These observations provide new knowledge of the distribution of ejected materials from small impact craters on the Moon, the modification of the top few cm of the regolith by micrometeorite impacts, and potential hazards to future explorers.
ISSN:0019-1035
1090-2643
DOI:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.01.019