Formation of the Orientale lunar multiring basin

Multiring basins, large impact craters characterized by multiple concentric topographic rings, dominate the stratigraphy, tectonics, and crustal structure of the Moon. Using a hydrocode, we simulated the formation of the Orientale multiring basin, producing a subsurface structure consistent with hig...

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Main Authors: Johnson, B., Blair, D., Collins, G., Melosh, H., Freed, A., Taylor, G., Head, J., Wieczorek, M., Andrews-Hanna, J., Nimmo, F., Keane, J., Miljkovic, Katarina, Soderblom, J., Zuber, M.
Format: Journal Article
Published: The American Association for the Advancement of Science 2016
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/51083
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author Johnson, B.
Blair, D.
Collins, G.
Melosh, H.
Freed, A.
Taylor, G.
Head, J.
Wieczorek, M.
Andrews-Hanna, J.
Nimmo, F.
Keane, J.
Miljkovic, Katarina
Soderblom, J.
Zuber, M.
author_facet Johnson, B.
Blair, D.
Collins, G.
Melosh, H.
Freed, A.
Taylor, G.
Head, J.
Wieczorek, M.
Andrews-Hanna, J.
Nimmo, F.
Keane, J.
Miljkovic, Katarina
Soderblom, J.
Zuber, M.
author_sort Johnson, B.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Multiring basins, large impact craters characterized by multiple concentric topographic rings, dominate the stratigraphy, tectonics, and crustal structure of the Moon. Using a hydrocode, we simulated the formation of the Orientale multiring basin, producing a subsurface structure consistent with high-resolution gravity data from the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft. The simulated impact produced a transient crater, ~390 kilometers in diameter, that was not maintained because of subsequent gravitational collapse. Our simulations indicate that the flow of warm weak material at depth was crucial to the formation of the basin's outer rings, which are large normal faults that formed at different times during the collapse stage. The key parameters controlling ring location and spacing are impactor diameter and lunar thermal gradients.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
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publishDate 2016
publisher The American Association for the Advancement of Science
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-510832018-03-29T09:09:26Z Formation of the Orientale lunar multiring basin Johnson, B. Blair, D. Collins, G. Melosh, H. Freed, A. Taylor, G. Head, J. Wieczorek, M. Andrews-Hanna, J. Nimmo, F. Keane, J. Miljkovic, Katarina Soderblom, J. Zuber, M. Multiring basins, large impact craters characterized by multiple concentric topographic rings, dominate the stratigraphy, tectonics, and crustal structure of the Moon. Using a hydrocode, we simulated the formation of the Orientale multiring basin, producing a subsurface structure consistent with high-resolution gravity data from the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft. The simulated impact produced a transient crater, ~390 kilometers in diameter, that was not maintained because of subsequent gravitational collapse. Our simulations indicate that the flow of warm weak material at depth was crucial to the formation of the basin's outer rings, which are large normal faults that formed at different times during the collapse stage. The key parameters controlling ring location and spacing are impactor diameter and lunar thermal gradients. 2016 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/51083 10.1126/science.aag0518 The American Association for the Advancement of Science restricted
spellingShingle Johnson, B.
Blair, D.
Collins, G.
Melosh, H.
Freed, A.
Taylor, G.
Head, J.
Wieczorek, M.
Andrews-Hanna, J.
Nimmo, F.
Keane, J.
Miljkovic, Katarina
Soderblom, J.
Zuber, M.
Formation of the Orientale lunar multiring basin
title Formation of the Orientale lunar multiring basin
title_full Formation of the Orientale lunar multiring basin
title_fullStr Formation of the Orientale lunar multiring basin
title_full_unstemmed Formation of the Orientale lunar multiring basin
title_short Formation of the Orientale lunar multiring basin
title_sort formation of the orientale lunar multiring basin
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/51083