Characterizing Volcanic and Impact Materials in Lunar Craters

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dc.contributorYoung, Jason
dc.contributor.advisorDyar, Darby
dc.contributor.authorRobbins, Gwendolyn
dc.date.accessioned2022-06-30T13:14:51Z
dc.date.available2022-06-30T13:14:51Z
dc.date.gradyear2022en_US
dc.date.issued2022-06-30en
dc.description.abstractImpact craters on the Moon are typically infilled by either impact or volcanic melt, but outside of a few previously known characteristics, identification can be complicated. Morphological and compositional characteristics are the best options for definitive differentiation between volcanic and impact in impact craters. In this paper the history of lunar morphological research is reviewed and eight craters >60km in diameter are mapped to create a comprehensive list of features of note using the maps available through JMARS. Over the past 50 years, interest in lunar morphology has been primarily impacted by the technology available. Without high definition views of the lunar surface, studies on the Moon’s craters focused on size and volume instead of internal components. As technology improved, the study of lunar craters expanded. This thesis shows that many features of note in impact melt-filled impact craters exist primarily on the crater floor. That floor has been obscured in volcanically-filled impact craters. Impact melt-filled impact craters also maintain the same albedo and composition as the surrounding terrain, while volcanically-filled impact craters are of a darker albedo and mafic composition. The existence of terraced rims is affected by age rather than interior fill composition, unless the interior melt has obscured any terraces. Crater rims slump with age and therefore cannot indicate alone the type of melt inside the crater.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipAstronomyen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10166/6368
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.rights.restrictedpublicen_US
dc.subjectPlanetary Scienceen_US
dc.subjectAstronomyen_US
dc.subjectMoonen_US
dc.subjectCrater morphologyen_US
dc.titleCharacterizing Volcanic and Impact Materials in Lunar Cratersen_US
dc.typeThesis
mhc.degreeUndergraduateen_US
mhc.institutionMount Holyoke College

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