Modeling the morphological diversity of impact craters on icy satellites

Laurel E. Senft (1) , Sarah T. Stewart (1)

1 EPS - Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences [Cambridge, USA]

► We model impact crater formation in ice using a new equation of state and rheology. ► Dynamic phase changes lead to a new phenomenon called discontinuous excavation. ► Partial melts are concentrated in a central plug, a possible precursor to pits. ► Diverse crater morphologies reflect subsurface temperature profiles.

Mots clés: cratering; ices; Ganymede; Callisto; interiors

Domaines: Planète et Univers [physics]

Laurel E. Senft, Sarah T. Stewart. Modeling the morphological diversity of impact craters on icy satellites. Icarus, 2011, ⟨10.1016/j.icarus.2011.04.015⟩. ⟨hal-00768795⟩