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An Analysis of Morphometric and Morphologic Relationships in Lunar Pit Craters: The Role of Water

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2015, Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, Geological Sciences (Arts and Sciences).
Pit craters have been of interest to the impact crater community due to their elusive formational mechanism(s) and their variable morphologies on different bodies. This work focuses on finding, evaluating, and characterizing pit craters and their morphologic habits on the lunar surface to better constrain pit crater formation on a relatively volatile-depleted body (compared to Mars and Ganymede). The ultimate purpose was to identify and describe the relationship of pit craters to volatiles on the Moon by evaluating the population using 4 different approaches. The first and second of these involved determining if a correlation exists between percentage of pits on the lunar surface and volatile concentrations and determining if pit crater concentrations varied by latitude towards poleward concentrations of volatiles. These two methods were used to determine if there was a correlation between surface volatile concentrations and pit crater locations. The other two methods involved comparing lunar pit crater percentages, morphologies, and morphometric relationships to those on other, more volatile-rich bodies, such as Mars and Ganymede. The study area ranged across the lunar surface from -20° to 50° latitudes and included both highland and maria terrains. The diameter range of the crater population evaluated was 20 – 60 km. This was chosen to include complex craters (minimum diameter ~20 km) but to not include larger impacts (>60 km; i.e peak ring or multi-ring basins) to prevent misinterpretation of central regions. The LOLA data set along with NAC, WAC, and Clementine visible imagery, in addition to generated digital elevation models of the craters were used to locate and assess the pit craters. An overall population of 1490 craters was evaluated, of which 115 craters were characterized as pit craters (7.72%). The 7.72% may represent a minimum, but when factoring out uncategorizable craters, the total population is 26% (115 out of 441). A higher percentage of pits exist on the Moon than Mars and potentially Ganymede. The Moran index and Chi statistical tests were applied to the geographical distribution of pit craters and determined that the population is randomly distributed across the study area. Results show that pit craters have variable morphologies, where the pits could be oblique or linear in shape. Summit and floor pit craters were found in both maria and highland terrain. Results indicate there is not a correlation between linear pits and latitudes on the Moon. Additionally, when comparing the populations of pit craters on various planetary bodies, results indicate that there is not a strong correlation between volatiles and pit craters.
Keith Milam, PhD (Committee Chair)
Craig Grimes, PhD (Committee Member)
Gregory Springer, PhD (Committee Member)
382 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Malinski, P. T. (2015). An Analysis of Morphometric and Morphologic Relationships in Lunar Pit Craters: The Role of Water [Master's thesis, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1429487515

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Malinski, Peter. An Analysis of Morphometric and Morphologic Relationships in Lunar Pit Craters: The Role of Water. 2015. Ohio University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1429487515.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Malinski, Peter. "An Analysis of Morphometric and Morphologic Relationships in Lunar Pit Craters: The Role of Water." Master's thesis, Ohio University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1429487515

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)