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Dating very young planetary surfaces from crater statistics: A review of issues and challenges
Author(s) -
Williams JeanPierre,
Bogert Carolyn H.,
Pathare Asmin V.,
Michael Gregory G.,
Kirchoff Michelle R.,
Hiesinger Harald
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
meteoritics and planetary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.09
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1945-5100
pISSN - 1086-9379
DOI - 10.1111/maps.12924
Subject(s) - impact crater , geology , context (archaeology) , astrobiology , lunar craters , planetary surface , mars exploration program , paleontology , physics
Determining the ages of young planetary surfaces relies on using populations of small, often sub‐km diameter impact craters due to the higher frequency at which they form. Smaller craters however can be less reliable for estimating ages as their size‐frequency distribution is more susceptible to alteration with debate as to whether they should be used at all. With the current plethora of meter‐scale resolution images acquired of the lunar and Martian surfaces, small craters have been widely used to derive model ages to establish the temporal relation of recent geologic events. In this review paper, we discuss the many factors that make smaller craters particularly challenging to use and should be taken into consideration when crater counts are confined to small crater diameters. Establishing confidence in a model age ultimately requires an understanding of the geologic context of the surface being dated as reliability can vary considerably and limitations of the dating technique should be considered in applying ages to any geologic interpretation.