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Depth/diameter relations of fresh lunar craters: Revision from spacecraft data
Author(s) -
Pike Richard J.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/gl001i007p00291
Subject(s) - impact crater , lunar craters , geology , orbiter , far side of the moon , astrobiology , apollo , geology of the moon , spacecraft , remote sensing , geophysics , seismology , astronomy , physics , basalt , zoology , biology
The first systematic data from Apollo photogrammetry provide a high standard of accuracy for the depth/diameter (R i /D r ) relation of fresh lunar craters. Apollo R i /D r results resemble results obtained by measuring shadows on Lunar Orbiter imagery. The R i /D r distribution inflects at a crater diameter of 10 km ‐ 15 km. Lunar craters less than 15 km across are at least 50% deeper than older, telescopic data indicated (now, R i is ∼0.2 D r ), but larger craters are not much deeper. There is no marked R i /D r difference between fresh upland and postmare craters. The new R i /D r relation for small lunar craters resembles those of experimental and impact craters on Earth.