The ever-increasing recovery rate of natural resources from terrestrial impact craters over the last fewdecades across the globe offers new avenues for further exploration of mineral and hydrocarbon resources in such ...The ever-increasing recovery rate of natural resources from terrestrial impact craters over the last fewdecades across the globe offers new avenues for further exploration of mineral and hydrocarbon resources in such settings.As of today,60 of the 208 terrestrial craters have been identified to host diverseresources such as hydrocarbons,metals and construction materials.The potential of craters as plausibleresource contributors to the energy sector is therefore,worthy of consideration,as 42(70%)of the 60craters host energy resources such as oil,gas,coal,uranium,mercury,critical and major minerals as wellas hydropower resources.Among others,19 craters are of well-developed hydrocarbon reserves.Mineraldeposits associated with craters are also classified similar to other mineral resources such as progenetic,syngenetic and epigenetic sources.Of these,the progenetic and syngenetic mineralization are confinedto the early and late excavation stage of impact crater evolution,respectively,whereas epigenetic deposits are formed during and after the modification stage of crater formation.Thus,progenetic andsyngenetic mineral deposits(like Fe,Ni,Pb,Zn and Cu)associated with craters are formed as a directresult of the impact event,whereas epigenetic deposits(e.g.hydrocarbon)are hosted by the impactstructure and result from post-impact processes.In the progenetic and syngenetic deposits,the shockwave induced fracturing and melting aid the formation of deposits,whereas in the epigenetic deposits,the highly fractured lithostratigraphic units of higher porosity and permeability,like the centralelevated area(CEA)or the rim,act as traps.In this review,we provide a holistic view of the mineral andenergy resources associated with impact craters,and use some of the remote sensing techniques toidentify the mineral deposits as supplemented by a schematic model of the types of deposits formedduring cratering process.展开更多
Several significant events of a geological nature occurred approximately 800 ka before the present: (1) Australasian tektite fall (AA), (2) Brunhes-Matuyama geomagnetic reversal (BMR), (3) mid-Pleistocene changes in i...Several significant events of a geological nature occurred approximately 800 ka before the present: (1) Australasian tektite fall (AA), (2) Brunhes-Matuyama geomagnetic reversal (BMR), (3) mid-Pleistocene changes in ice age cycles. Add to these the undated fault system (4) in the South-West (SW) of the South China Sea (SCS). Here we offer a unified cause for all four of these in (5), an impact in the SCS of a large, massive cosmic object, likely a comet, obliquely coming from the SW at an extremely shallow angle, striking the Sunda shelf yet unexploded with the shock of its compressed air bow wave, and causing the continual shelf and slope to collapse, resulting in the fault system (4), then traveling almost tangentially to the surface, exploding at impact with the sea surface, ejecting the tektites (1), creating the formation underlying the later atolls of Spratlies Archipelago (6), Nansha Islands in Chinese, & causing the BMR (2). An explanation of event (3) was Richard Muller’s hypothesis of planet Earth passing through an interplanetary dust cloud periodically due to ecliptic precession. Here we hypothesize this cloud actually is a belt of Australasian tektites ejected into space at super-orbital velocities that Earth encounters about every 100 ka.展开更多
Impact craters are formed due to the high-speed collisions between small to medium-sized celestial bodies.Impact is the most significant driving force in the evolution of celestial bodies,and the impact craters provid...Impact craters are formed due to the high-speed collisions between small to medium-sized celestial bodies.Impact is the most significant driving force in the evolution of celestial bodies,and the impact craters provide crucial insights into the formation,evolution,and impact history of celestial bodies.In this paper,we present a detailed review of the characteristics of impact craters,impact crater remote sensing data,recognition algorithms,and applications related to impact craters.We first provide a detailed description of the geometric texture,illumination,and morphology characteristics observed in remote sensing data of craters.Then we summarize the remote sensing data and cataloging databases for the four terrestrial planets(i.e.,the Moon,Mars,Mercury,and Venus),as well as the impact craters on Ceres.Subsequently,we study the advancement achieved in the traditional methods,machine learning methods,and deep learning methods applied to the classification,segmentation,and recognition of impact craters.Furthermore,based on the analysis results,we discuss the existing challenges in impact crater recognition and suggest some solutions.Finally,we explore the implementation of impact crater detection algorithms and provide a forward-looking perspective.展开更多
Isli and Tislit, the Moroccan “Romeo and Juliette” according to a popular legend gave their name to a twin lakes in Imilchil. There we show evidences that these two lakes are impact craters. The proof as follow: 1) ...Isli and Tislit, the Moroccan “Romeo and Juliette” according to a popular legend gave their name to a twin lakes in Imilchil. There we show evidences that these two lakes are impact craters. The proof as follow: 1) the fragments of iron meteorites found on both sides of Isli and Tislit lakes belong to the same parent meteorite and siderite type;2) the sedimentary formations which are almost tabular in the area of the lakes become tilted with a centripetal sloping all around and towards Isli lake;3) the circular shape of the Tislit lake is similar to that of the Isli lake;4) the impact breccias found on the south of the Isli lake contain shocked quartz crystals;5) the radial fractures of high pressure affect some sedimentary beds. All these observations give evidence of the presence of an impact crater due to the fall of meteorites.展开更多
Crater is a geologic structure in solid bodies(including the terrestrial planets, moons, and asteroids) formed by hyperspeed impact, and the impact process is extremely important to the formation and evolution of thes...Crater is a geologic structure in solid bodies(including the terrestrial planets, moons, and asteroids) formed by hyperspeed impact, and the impact process is extremely important to the formation and evolution of these celestial bodies. This paper presents a review of the studies on remote sensing observation, formation mechanism, and scientific application of craters. On the remote sensing study of craters, the topographic characteristics of the micro-craters, simple craters, complex craters, and impact basins are described,the related parameters in the morphological studies of craters are subsequently introduced, and the distribution characteristics of the minerals and rock types during the impact excavation process are analyzed,the methods of crater identification and the crater databases on the Moon, Mars, Ceres, and Vesta are summarized. On the studies of crater formation mechanism, the general formation process of the craters is firstly described, and then the most frequently used methods are presented, and the importance of the empirical equations is also elucidated. On the scientific applications of the craters, the principle and currently utilization of the planetary surface dating method with crater size-frequency distribution are firstly presented, and the applications, including modeling the lunar regolith formation and thickness derivation of both the regolith and basalt, are reviewed. Finally, the future prospects of the formation mechanism study of the craters are discussed.展开更多
On airless bodies such as the Moon and Mercury, secondary craters on the continuous secondaries facies of fresh craters mostly occur in chains and clusters. They have very irregular shapes. Secondaries on the continuo...On airless bodies such as the Moon and Mercury, secondary craters on the continuous secondaries facies of fresh craters mostly occur in chains and clusters. They have very irregular shapes. Secondaries on the continuous secondaries facies of some Martian and Mercurian craters are more isolated from each other in distribution and are more circular in shape, probably due to the effect of target properties on the impact excavation process. This paper studies secondaries on the continuous secondaries facies of all fresh lunar complex craters using recently-obtained high resolution images. After a global search, we find that 3 impact craters and basins on the Moon have circular and isolated secondaries on the continuous secondaries facies similar to those on Mercury: the Orientale basin, the Antoniadi crater, and the Compton crater. The morphological differences between such special secondaries and typical lunar secondaries are quantitatively compared and analyzed. Our preliminary analyses suggest that the special secondaries were probably caused by high temperature gradients within the local targets when these craters and basins formed. The high-temperature of the targets could have affected the impact excavation process by causing higher ejection angles, giving rise to more scattered circular secondaries.展开更多
The distribution characteristics of the impact craters can provide a large amount of information on impact history and the lunar evolution process. In this research, based on the digital elevation model (DEM) data ori...The distribution characteristics of the impact craters can provide a large amount of information on impact history and the lunar evolution process. In this research, based on the digital elevation model (DEM) data originating from Change'E-1 CCD stereo camera, three automatic extraction methods for the impact craters are implemented in two research areas: direct extraction from flooded DEM data (the Flooded method), object-oriented extraction from DEM data by using ENVI ZOOM function (the Object-Oriented method) and novel object-oriented extraction from flooded DEM data (the Flooded Object-Oriented method). Accuracy assessment, extracted degree computation, cumulative frequency analysis, shape and age analysis of the extracted craters combined display the following results. (1) The Flooded Object-Oriented method yields better accuracy than the other two methods in the two research areas; the extraction result of the Flooded method offers the similar accuracy to that of the Object-Oriented method. (2) The cumulative frequency curves for the extracted craters and the confirmed craters share a similar change trajectory. (3) The number of the impact craters extracted by the three methods in the Imbrian period is the largest and is of various types; as to their age earlier than Imbrain, it is difficult to extract because they could have been destroyed.展开更多
The six largest known impact craters of the last 250 Myr(≥70 km in diameter),which are capable of causing significant environmental damage,coincide with four times of recognized extinction events at 36(with 2 craters...The six largest known impact craters of the last 250 Myr(≥70 km in diameter),which are capable of causing significant environmental damage,coincide with four times of recognized extinction events at 36(with 2 craters),66,and 145 Myr ago,and possibly with two provisional extinction events at 168 and215 Myr ago.These impact cratering events are accompanied by layers in the geologic record interpreted as impact ejecta.Chance occurrences of impacts and extinctions can be rejected at confidence levels of99.96%(for 4 impact/extinctions)to 99.99%(for 6 impact/extinctions).These results argue that several extinction events over the last 250 Myr may be related to the effects of large-body impacts.展开更多
小行星撞遇陆地是一个复杂的非线性动力学过程,难以通过模型试验的方法开展相关研究。数值计算为这一灾害动力学过程分析提供了重要的工具,基于自主研发的CoSim软件中离散元(Discrete Element Method,DEM)模块初步实现了小行星撞遇陆地...小行星撞遇陆地是一个复杂的非线性动力学过程,难以通过模型试验的方法开展相关研究。数值计算为这一灾害动力学过程分析提供了重要的工具,基于自主研发的CoSim软件中离散元(Discrete Element Method,DEM)模块初步实现了小行星撞遇陆地的大规模计算模拟。基于小行星撞遇陆地三维动力学全过程的数值仿真结果:实现了初始接触、撞遇挖掘、高速抛射和回落调整4个撞击阶段全过程仿真;小行星的碰撞入射角及撞遇过程中动力学行为将影响撞击坑的地形地貌特征。研究也表明大规模数值计算方法可较好地实现小行星撞遇地球这一动力学过程,为小行星防御提供支撑。展开更多
The Chinese Chang’e-3 mission landed close to the eastern rim of the ~450 m diameter Ziwei crater. Regional stratigraphy of the landing site and impact excavation model suggest that the bulk continuous ejecta deposit...The Chinese Chang’e-3 mission landed close to the eastern rim of the ~450 m diameter Ziwei crater. Regional stratigraphy of the landing site and impact excavation model suggest that the bulk continuous ejecta deposits of the Ziwei crater are composed by Erathothenian-aged mare basalts. Along the traverse of the Yutu rover, the western segment features a gentle topographic uplift(~0.5 m high over ~4 m), which is spatially connected with the structurally-uplifted crater rim. Assuming that this broad topographic uplift has physical properties discontinuous with materials below, we use data returned by the high-frequency lunar penetrating radar onboard the Yutu rover to estimate the possible range of relative permittivity for this topographic uplift. Only when the relative permittivity is ~9 is the observed radar reflection consistent with the observed topography, suggesting that the topographic uplift is composed of basaltic blocks that were excavated by the Ziwei crater. This result is consistent both with the impact excavation model that predicts deeper basaltic materials being deposited closer to the crater rim, and with observation of numerous half-buried boulders on the surface of this hill. We note that this study is the first to use topography and radargram data to estimate the relative permittivity of lunar surface uplifts, an approach that has had many successful applications on Mars. Similar approaches can apply other ground penetrating radar data for the Moon, such as will be available from the ongoing Chang’e-4 mission.展开更多
For application to exploration under the surface of icy objects in the solar system, the penetration of an impact probe into an icy target was experimentally simulated by using the ballistic range. Slender projectiles...For application to exploration under the surface of icy objects in the solar system, the penetration of an impact probe into an icy target was experimentally simulated by using the ballistic range. Slender projectiles with a cylindrical body and various nose shapes were tested at the impact velocity 130 - 420 m/s. The motion of the penetrator, fragmentation of ice and crater forming were observed by the high-speed camera. It revealed that the crown-shaped ejection was made for a short time after the impact and then the outward normal jet-like stream of ice pieces continued for much longer time. The concave shape of the crater was successfully visualized by pouring the plaster into it. The two-stage structure, the pit and the spall, was clearly confirmed. The rim was not formed around the crater. Observation of the crater surface and the ice around the trace of the penetrator shows that both crushing into smaller ice pieces and recompression into ice blocks are caused by the forward motion of the penetrator. In case of a body with a flow-through duct, ice pieces entering the inlet at the nose tip were ejected from the tail, resulting in relaxation of the impact force. The correlation of the penetration distance and the crater diameter with the impact velocity was investigated.展开更多
In the terrestrial planet zone, Comets start outgassing due to solar radiation. This can make comet composition fragile enough to break under the gravitational gradient. Examples like those of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 [...In the terrestrial planet zone, Comets start outgassing due to solar radiation. This can make comet composition fragile enough to break under the gravitational gradient. Examples like those of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 [1] show that it is not unusual for comets to disintegrate due to gravitational gradients. In the event of an impact of such a disintegrated comet on earth, multiple coherent impact craters will be distributed over a large area. The low-density porous composition of the comet will result in the formation of “large flat-floored craters” spread over a large area with a network of faults and fractures as described by Roddy and co-workers (Roddy, 1976;Roddy et al., 1977) [2] [3]. Due to its unusual appearance these impacts patterns are different than rock/metal asteroid impact craters. As a result, these sites are difficult to identify. There are multiple such sites on the planet earth which are under study for impact but due to complex nature of comet impact craters, they have been a conundrum for some time. One such possible site matching the comet impact features can be observed in the southern Tibet between the latitudes of 82°30'E and 90°30'E and 29°N and 33°N. This study indicates that the lakes in this region were formed by the impact of a single disintegrating comet that hit the region. Observation indicates that the lakes are unusually closely aligned and have a steep slope facing circular feature on the eastern side. Fractures and faults connecting these lakes can be observed over entire subject site hinting towards the multiple impact craters. These craters are large flat-floored and spread over a large area. Gravitational anomaly in the lake region along with the presence of Ultra High Pressure (UHP) minerals like cubic Born Nitride, micro-diamond with the inclusion of Platinum Group Elements (PGE), coesite, Stishovite, osbornite and other complex finds in the region support the possibility of impact.展开更多
A meteorite impacted the ground in Estonia forming the Kaali Crater dated at 1183 - 1162 BC. It set up a Baltic-wide mega-tsunami dated at 1171 absolute varve years BC. It also triggered violent seismotectonic effect ...A meteorite impacted the ground in Estonia forming the Kaali Crater dated at 1183 - 1162 BC. It set up a Baltic-wide mega-tsunami dated at 1171 absolute varve years BC. It also triggered violent seismotectonic effect in Sweden. Ancient legends testify of direct observations of the sky phenomena and personal experiences of the ground shaking and tsunami flooding, which makes the Kaali Crater the oldest impact event documented by humans. The Ragnar<span style="white-space:nowrap;">ö</span>k apocalypse is likely to lead its origin from the violent geodynamic activity along the Swedish east coast.展开更多
文摘The ever-increasing recovery rate of natural resources from terrestrial impact craters over the last fewdecades across the globe offers new avenues for further exploration of mineral and hydrocarbon resources in such settings.As of today,60 of the 208 terrestrial craters have been identified to host diverseresources such as hydrocarbons,metals and construction materials.The potential of craters as plausibleresource contributors to the energy sector is therefore,worthy of consideration,as 42(70%)of the 60craters host energy resources such as oil,gas,coal,uranium,mercury,critical and major minerals as wellas hydropower resources.Among others,19 craters are of well-developed hydrocarbon reserves.Mineraldeposits associated with craters are also classified similar to other mineral resources such as progenetic,syngenetic and epigenetic sources.Of these,the progenetic and syngenetic mineralization are confinedto the early and late excavation stage of impact crater evolution,respectively,whereas epigenetic deposits are formed during and after the modification stage of crater formation.Thus,progenetic andsyngenetic mineral deposits(like Fe,Ni,Pb,Zn and Cu)associated with craters are formed as a directresult of the impact event,whereas epigenetic deposits(e.g.hydrocarbon)are hosted by the impactstructure and result from post-impact processes.In the progenetic and syngenetic deposits,the shockwave induced fracturing and melting aid the formation of deposits,whereas in the epigenetic deposits,the highly fractured lithostratigraphic units of higher porosity and permeability,like the centralelevated area(CEA)or the rim,act as traps.In this review,we provide a holistic view of the mineral andenergy resources associated with impact craters,and use some of the remote sensing techniques toidentify the mineral deposits as supplemented by a schematic model of the types of deposits formedduring cratering process.
文摘Several significant events of a geological nature occurred approximately 800 ka before the present: (1) Australasian tektite fall (AA), (2) Brunhes-Matuyama geomagnetic reversal (BMR), (3) mid-Pleistocene changes in ice age cycles. Add to these the undated fault system (4) in the South-West (SW) of the South China Sea (SCS). Here we offer a unified cause for all four of these in (5), an impact in the SCS of a large, massive cosmic object, likely a comet, obliquely coming from the SW at an extremely shallow angle, striking the Sunda shelf yet unexploded with the shock of its compressed air bow wave, and causing the continual shelf and slope to collapse, resulting in the fault system (4), then traveling almost tangentially to the surface, exploding at impact with the sea surface, ejecting the tektites (1), creating the formation underlying the later atolls of Spratlies Archipelago (6), Nansha Islands in Chinese, & causing the BMR (2). An explanation of event (3) was Richard Muller’s hypothesis of planet Earth passing through an interplanetary dust cloud periodically due to ecliptic precession. Here we hypothesize this cloud actually is a belt of Australasian tektites ejected into space at super-orbital velocities that Earth encounters about every 100 ka.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41925006,12003075,42371383,and 42271450)。
文摘Impact craters are formed due to the high-speed collisions between small to medium-sized celestial bodies.Impact is the most significant driving force in the evolution of celestial bodies,and the impact craters provide crucial insights into the formation,evolution,and impact history of celestial bodies.In this paper,we present a detailed review of the characteristics of impact craters,impact crater remote sensing data,recognition algorithms,and applications related to impact craters.We first provide a detailed description of the geometric texture,illumination,and morphology characteristics observed in remote sensing data of craters.Then we summarize the remote sensing data and cataloging databases for the four terrestrial planets(i.e.,the Moon,Mars,Mercury,and Venus),as well as the impact craters on Ceres.Subsequently,we study the advancement achieved in the traditional methods,machine learning methods,and deep learning methods applied to the classification,segmentation,and recognition of impact craters.Furthermore,based on the analysis results,we discuss the existing challenges in impact crater recognition and suggest some solutions.Finally,we explore the implementation of impact crater detection algorithms and provide a forward-looking perspective.
文摘Isli and Tislit, the Moroccan “Romeo and Juliette” according to a popular legend gave their name to a twin lakes in Imilchil. There we show evidences that these two lakes are impact craters. The proof as follow: 1) the fragments of iron meteorites found on both sides of Isli and Tislit lakes belong to the same parent meteorite and siderite type;2) the sedimentary formations which are almost tabular in the area of the lakes become tilted with a centripetal sloping all around and towards Isli lake;3) the circular shape of the Tislit lake is similar to that of the Isli lake;4) the impact breccias found on the south of the Isli lake contain shocked quartz crystals;5) the radial fractures of high pressure affect some sedimentary beds. All these observations give evidence of the presence of an impact crater due to the fall of meteorites.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41972321, 41941003)。
文摘Crater is a geologic structure in solid bodies(including the terrestrial planets, moons, and asteroids) formed by hyperspeed impact, and the impact process is extremely important to the formation and evolution of these celestial bodies. This paper presents a review of the studies on remote sensing observation, formation mechanism, and scientific application of craters. On the remote sensing study of craters, the topographic characteristics of the micro-craters, simple craters, complex craters, and impact basins are described,the related parameters in the morphological studies of craters are subsequently introduced, and the distribution characteristics of the minerals and rock types during the impact excavation process are analyzed,the methods of crater identification and the crater databases on the Moon, Mars, Ceres, and Vesta are summarized. On the studies of crater formation mechanism, the general formation process of the craters is firstly described, and then the most frequently used methods are presented, and the importance of the empirical equations is also elucidated. On the scientific applications of the craters, the principle and currently utilization of the planetary surface dating method with crater size-frequency distribution are firstly presented, and the applications, including modeling the lunar regolith formation and thickness derivation of both the regolith and basalt, are reviewed. Finally, the future prospects of the formation mechanism study of the craters are discussed.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41403053, J1210043)fund CUG130106 of China University of Geosciences (Wuhan)
文摘On airless bodies such as the Moon and Mercury, secondary craters on the continuous secondaries facies of fresh craters mostly occur in chains and clusters. They have very irregular shapes. Secondaries on the continuous secondaries facies of some Martian and Mercurian craters are more isolated from each other in distribution and are more circular in shape, probably due to the effect of target properties on the impact excavation process. This paper studies secondaries on the continuous secondaries facies of all fresh lunar complex craters using recently-obtained high resolution images. After a global search, we find that 3 impact craters and basins on the Moon have circular and isolated secondaries on the continuous secondaries facies similar to those on Mercury: the Orientale basin, the Antoniadi crater, and the Compton crater. The morphological differences between such special secondaries and typical lunar secondaries are quantitatively compared and analyzed. Our preliminary analyses suggest that the special secondaries were probably caused by high temperature gradients within the local targets when these craters and basins formed. The high-temperature of the targets could have affected the impact excavation process by causing higher ejection angles, giving rise to more scattered circular secondaries.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40871177 and 41171332)the Knowledge Innovation Project of the Institute of Geographic and Natural Resources Research, the Chinese Academy of Sci-ences (Grant No. 201001005)
文摘The distribution characteristics of the impact craters can provide a large amount of information on impact history and the lunar evolution process. In this research, based on the digital elevation model (DEM) data originating from Change'E-1 CCD stereo camera, three automatic extraction methods for the impact craters are implemented in two research areas: direct extraction from flooded DEM data (the Flooded method), object-oriented extraction from DEM data by using ENVI ZOOM function (the Object-Oriented method) and novel object-oriented extraction from flooded DEM data (the Flooded Object-Oriented method). Accuracy assessment, extracted degree computation, cumulative frequency analysis, shape and age analysis of the extracted craters combined display the following results. (1) The Flooded Object-Oriented method yields better accuracy than the other two methods in the two research areas; the extraction result of the Flooded method offers the similar accuracy to that of the Object-Oriented method. (2) The cumulative frequency curves for the extracted craters and the confirmed craters share a similar change trajectory. (3) The number of the impact craters extracted by the three methods in the Imbrian period is the largest and is of various types; as to their age earlier than Imbrain, it is difficult to extract because they could have been destroyed.
基金Support for Rampino came from an NYU Research Challenge grant
文摘The six largest known impact craters of the last 250 Myr(≥70 km in diameter),which are capable of causing significant environmental damage,coincide with four times of recognized extinction events at 36(with 2 craters),66,and 145 Myr ago,and possibly with two provisional extinction events at 168 and215 Myr ago.These impact cratering events are accompanied by layers in the geologic record interpreted as impact ejecta.Chance occurrences of impacts and extinctions can be rejected at confidence levels of99.96%(for 4 impact/extinctions)to 99.99%(for 6 impact/extinctions).These results argue that several extinction events over the last 250 Myr may be related to the effects of large-body impacts.
文摘小行星撞遇陆地是一个复杂的非线性动力学过程,难以通过模型试验的方法开展相关研究。数值计算为这一灾害动力学过程分析提供了重要的工具,基于自主研发的CoSim软件中离散元(Discrete Element Method,DEM)模块初步实现了小行星撞遇陆地的大规模计算模拟。基于小行星撞遇陆地三维动力学全过程的数值仿真结果:实现了初始接触、撞遇挖掘、高速抛射和回落调整4个撞击阶段全过程仿真;小行星的碰撞入射角及撞遇过程中动力学行为将影响撞击坑的地形地貌特征。研究也表明大规模数值计算方法可较好地实现小行星撞遇地球这一动力学过程,为小行星防御提供支撑。
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41773063, 41525015 and 41830214)the Science and Technology Development Fund of Macao (0042/2018/A2)the Opening Fund of the Key Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, CAS (no.ldse201702)
文摘The Chinese Chang’e-3 mission landed close to the eastern rim of the ~450 m diameter Ziwei crater. Regional stratigraphy of the landing site and impact excavation model suggest that the bulk continuous ejecta deposits of the Ziwei crater are composed by Erathothenian-aged mare basalts. Along the traverse of the Yutu rover, the western segment features a gentle topographic uplift(~0.5 m high over ~4 m), which is spatially connected with the structurally-uplifted crater rim. Assuming that this broad topographic uplift has physical properties discontinuous with materials below, we use data returned by the high-frequency lunar penetrating radar onboard the Yutu rover to estimate the possible range of relative permittivity for this topographic uplift. Only when the relative permittivity is ~9 is the observed radar reflection consistent with the observed topography, suggesting that the topographic uplift is composed of basaltic blocks that were excavated by the Ziwei crater. This result is consistent both with the impact excavation model that predicts deeper basaltic materials being deposited closer to the crater rim, and with observation of numerous half-buried boulders on the surface of this hill. We note that this study is the first to use topography and radargram data to estimate the relative permittivity of lunar surface uplifts, an approach that has had many successful applications on Mars. Similar approaches can apply other ground penetrating radar data for the Moon, such as will be available from the ongoing Chang’e-4 mission.
文摘For application to exploration under the surface of icy objects in the solar system, the penetration of an impact probe into an icy target was experimentally simulated by using the ballistic range. Slender projectiles with a cylindrical body and various nose shapes were tested at the impact velocity 130 - 420 m/s. The motion of the penetrator, fragmentation of ice and crater forming were observed by the high-speed camera. It revealed that the crown-shaped ejection was made for a short time after the impact and then the outward normal jet-like stream of ice pieces continued for much longer time. The concave shape of the crater was successfully visualized by pouring the plaster into it. The two-stage structure, the pit and the spall, was clearly confirmed. The rim was not formed around the crater. Observation of the crater surface and the ice around the trace of the penetrator shows that both crushing into smaller ice pieces and recompression into ice blocks are caused by the forward motion of the penetrator. In case of a body with a flow-through duct, ice pieces entering the inlet at the nose tip were ejected from the tail, resulting in relaxation of the impact force. The correlation of the penetration distance and the crater diameter with the impact velocity was investigated.
文摘In the terrestrial planet zone, Comets start outgassing due to solar radiation. This can make comet composition fragile enough to break under the gravitational gradient. Examples like those of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 [1] show that it is not unusual for comets to disintegrate due to gravitational gradients. In the event of an impact of such a disintegrated comet on earth, multiple coherent impact craters will be distributed over a large area. The low-density porous composition of the comet will result in the formation of “large flat-floored craters” spread over a large area with a network of faults and fractures as described by Roddy and co-workers (Roddy, 1976;Roddy et al., 1977) [2] [3]. Due to its unusual appearance these impacts patterns are different than rock/metal asteroid impact craters. As a result, these sites are difficult to identify. There are multiple such sites on the planet earth which are under study for impact but due to complex nature of comet impact craters, they have been a conundrum for some time. One such possible site matching the comet impact features can be observed in the southern Tibet between the latitudes of 82°30'E and 90°30'E and 29°N and 33°N. This study indicates that the lakes in this region were formed by the impact of a single disintegrating comet that hit the region. Observation indicates that the lakes are unusually closely aligned and have a steep slope facing circular feature on the eastern side. Fractures and faults connecting these lakes can be observed over entire subject site hinting towards the multiple impact craters. These craters are large flat-floored and spread over a large area. Gravitational anomaly in the lake region along with the presence of Ultra High Pressure (UHP) minerals like cubic Born Nitride, micro-diamond with the inclusion of Platinum Group Elements (PGE), coesite, Stishovite, osbornite and other complex finds in the region support the possibility of impact.
文摘A meteorite impacted the ground in Estonia forming the Kaali Crater dated at 1183 - 1162 BC. It set up a Baltic-wide mega-tsunami dated at 1171 absolute varve years BC. It also triggered violent seismotectonic effect in Sweden. Ancient legends testify of direct observations of the sky phenomena and personal experiences of the ground shaking and tsunami flooding, which makes the Kaali Crater the oldest impact event documented by humans. The Ragnar<span style="white-space:nowrap;">ö</span>k apocalypse is likely to lead its origin from the violent geodynamic activity along the Swedish east coast.