Impacts into quartz sand: Crater formation, shock metamorphism, and ejecta distribution in laboratory experiments and numerical models

Wünnemann, K.; Zhu, M. H.; Stöffler, D.

doi:10.1111/maps.12710

Cited by 62 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 52 publications

(129 reference statements)

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“…We rebin the launch positions of all tracers with an interval of 5 km (i.e., 0.1 in dimensionless units) for the statistical studies to see the difference between the warm and cold cases. In both cases, we find that the ejecta launch velocity decreases with increasing launch position as expected from the laboratory impact experiments (Cintala et al, ; Housen & Holsapple, ) and other numerical models (e.g., Wünnemann et al, ). Our results show that the ejecta launch angle depends on the target properties, whereas the ejecta launch velocity does not.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 86%

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Effects of Moon's Thermal State on the Impact Basin Ejecta Distribution

Zhu

Wünnemann

Artemieva

2017

Geophysical Research Letters

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We investigate how different temperature gradients of the Moon affect the ejection of lithic and molten materials for impact basin several hundred kilometers in diameter to quantify the thickness and melt content of ejecta blanket as a function of radial distance. We find, by means of numerical modeling, that the ejecta thickness and melt content, similar to the basin formation, is sensitive to the thermal properties of the target. For two similar impact scenarios, the ejecta thickness with radial distance is proportional to a power law, but for a “warm” target, it declines faster than for a “cold” target. In addition, the impact on the warm target produces more molten ejecta than in the case of the cold target. The thermal effects on the ejecta thickness distribution can be testified by the topographic variations around Imbrium and Orientale basins, which were thought to be formed on a warm and cold Moon, respectively. Our study demonstrates that the thermal effect needs to be taken into account to estimate the ejecta thickness distribution for large‐scale impact basins on airless planetary surfaces.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 86%

“…In addition, small difference in density between ejecta and target would not significantly change the ejecta thickness distribution. This approach has been validated against laboratory impact experiments (Wünnemann et al, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Moon's Thermal State on the Impact Basin Ejecta Distribution

Zhu

Wünnemann

Artemieva

2017

Geophysical Research Letters

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“…This approach has been well tested and compared against experimental data (Wünnemann et al. ). In this study, we investigate the ejecta distribution for the biggest Morasko crater neglecting any interaction with the atmosphere and with the ejecta curtains from nearby craters.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstruction of the Morasko meteoroid impact—Insight from numerical modeling

Bronikowska

Artemieva

Wünnemann

2017

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

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The Morasko strewn field located near Poznań, Poland comprises seven impact craters with diameters ranging from 20 to 90 m, all of which were formed in glacial sediments around 5000 yr ago. Numerous iron meteorites have been recovered in the area and their distribution suggests a projectile with the trajectory from NE to SW. Similar impact events producing crater strewn fields on average happen every 500 yr and pose a serious risk for modern civilization, which is why it is of utmost importance to study terrestrial strewn fields in detail. In this work, we investigate the Morasko meteoroid passage through the atmosphere, the distribution of its fragments on the ground, and the process of forming individual craters by means of numerical modeling. By combining atmospheric entry modeling, Pi‐group scaling of transient crater size and hydrocode simulations of impact processes, we constructed a comprehensive model of the Morasko strewn field formation. We determined the preatmospheric parameters of the Morasko meteoroid. The entry mass is between 600 and 1100 tons, the velocity range is between 16 and 18 km s−1, and the trajectory angle is 30–40°. Such entry velocities and trajectory angles do not deviate from typical values for near‐Earth asteroids, although the initial mass we determined can be considered as small. Our studies on velocities and masses of crater‐forming fragments showed that the biggest Morasko crater was formed by a projectile about 1.5 m in diameter with the impact velocity ~10 km s−1. Environmental consequences of the Morasko impact event are very localized.

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“…This approach is similar to that in Collins et al . [] and has been validated against laboratory impact experiments into sand [ Wünnemann et al ., ]. The entrainment of local material into the ejecta blanket upon landing is not taken into account.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical modeling of the ejecta distribution and formation of the Orientale basin on the Moon

2015

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The formation and structure of the Orientale basin on the Moon has been extensively studied in the past; however, estimates of its transient crater size, excavated volume and depth, and ejecta distribution remain uncertain. Here we present a new numerical model to reinvestigate the formation and structure of Orientale basin and better constrain impact parameters such as impactor size and velocity. Unlike previous models, the observed ejecta distribution and ejecta thickness were used as the primary constraints to estimate transient crater size—the best measure of impact energy. Models were also compared to basin morphology and morphometry, and subsurface structures derived from high‐resolution remote sensing observations and gravity data, respectively. The best fit model suggests a 100 km diameter impactor with a velocity of ~12 km s−1 formed the Orientale basin on a relatively “cold” Moon. In this impact scenario the transient crater diameter is ~400 km or 460 km depending on whether the crater is defined using the diameter of the excavation zone or the diameter of the growing cavity at the time of maximum crater volume, respectively. The volume of ejecta material is ~4.70 × 106 km3, in agreement with recent estimates of the Orientale ejecta blanket thickness from remote sensing studies. The model also confirms the remote sensing spectroscopic observations that no mantle material was excavated and deposited at Orientale's rim.

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Impacts into quartz sand: Crater formation, shock metamorphism, and ejecta distribution in laboratory experiments and numerical models

Cited by 62 publications

References 52 publications

Effects of Moon's Thermal State on the Impact Basin Ejecta Distribution

Effects of Moon's Thermal State on the Impact Basin Ejecta Distribution

Reconstruction of the Morasko meteoroid impact—Insight from numerical modeling

Numerical modeling of the ejecta distribution and formation of the Orientale basin on the Moon

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