Contemporaneous formation of self-secondaries and layered ejecta deposits on Mars
Abstract Self-secondaries are secondary craters formed in cogenetic ejecta deposits. Bearing important information on cratering mechanics and the applicability of remote age-determination technique using crater statistics, the spatial distribution of self-secondaries on Mars and their potential effe...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02275-4 |
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| _version_ | 1850145590989553664 |
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| author | Fanglu Luo Zhiyong Xiao Rui Xu Yizhen Ma Yiren Chang Wei Cao Yichen Wang Jun Cui |
| author_facet | Fanglu Luo Zhiyong Xiao Rui Xu Yizhen Ma Yiren Chang Wei Cao Yichen Wang Jun Cui |
| author_sort | Fanglu Luo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Self-secondaries are secondary craters formed in cogenetic ejecta deposits. Bearing important information on cratering mechanics and the applicability of remote age-determination technique using crater statistics, the spatial distribution of self-secondaries on Mars and their potential effect on martian crater chronology remain uncharacterized. Here, we show that self-secondaries are scarce on Mars, possessing minor effect on crater chronology. Recognized self-secondaries primarily occur on rim deposits and are largely absent on layered ejecta deposits, suggesting that the emplacement of self-secondaries and layered ejecta deposits occurred in a narrow time window. Comparison with model-predicted distributions of self-secondaries suggests that fragments forming self-secondaries did not uniformly have near-vertical ejection angles and may have slightly larger angles than those of normal excavation flows, explaining their common occurrence on airless planetary bodies. The double-layered ejecta of Steinheim ceased emplacement earlier than single- and multiple-layered ejecta, possibly due to the higher volatile content in pre-impact target materials. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-71f03a68d70f4a13ade465d8e1eba9a1 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-71f03a68d70f4a13ade465d8e1eba9a12025-08-20T02:28:04ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-04-01611910.1038/s43247-025-02275-4Contemporaneous formation of self-secondaries and layered ejecta deposits on MarsFanglu Luo0Zhiyong Xiao1Rui Xu2Yizhen Ma3Yiren Chang4Wei Cao5Yichen Wang6Jun Cui7Planetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityPlanetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityPlanetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityPlanetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityMathematics and Science College, Shanghai Normal UniversityPlanetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityPlanetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityPlanetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen UniversityAbstract Self-secondaries are secondary craters formed in cogenetic ejecta deposits. Bearing important information on cratering mechanics and the applicability of remote age-determination technique using crater statistics, the spatial distribution of self-secondaries on Mars and their potential effect on martian crater chronology remain uncharacterized. Here, we show that self-secondaries are scarce on Mars, possessing minor effect on crater chronology. Recognized self-secondaries primarily occur on rim deposits and are largely absent on layered ejecta deposits, suggesting that the emplacement of self-secondaries and layered ejecta deposits occurred in a narrow time window. Comparison with model-predicted distributions of self-secondaries suggests that fragments forming self-secondaries did not uniformly have near-vertical ejection angles and may have slightly larger angles than those of normal excavation flows, explaining their common occurrence on airless planetary bodies. The double-layered ejecta of Steinheim ceased emplacement earlier than single- and multiple-layered ejecta, possibly due to the higher volatile content in pre-impact target materials.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02275-4 |
| spellingShingle | Fanglu Luo Zhiyong Xiao Rui Xu Yizhen Ma Yiren Chang Wei Cao Yichen Wang Jun Cui Contemporaneous formation of self-secondaries and layered ejecta deposits on Mars Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Contemporaneous formation of self-secondaries and layered ejecta deposits on Mars |
| title_full | Contemporaneous formation of self-secondaries and layered ejecta deposits on Mars |
| title_fullStr | Contemporaneous formation of self-secondaries and layered ejecta deposits on Mars |
| title_full_unstemmed | Contemporaneous formation of self-secondaries and layered ejecta deposits on Mars |
| title_short | Contemporaneous formation of self-secondaries and layered ejecta deposits on Mars |
| title_sort | contemporaneous formation of self secondaries and layered ejecta deposits on mars |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02275-4 |
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