Impact melt deposits on interior wall of Klute W crater. Image field of view is 900 meters, from LROC Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) observation M143201144RE; LRO orbit 6237, October 31, 2010. See the full-sized (1400 x 1400 pixel) LROC Featured Image release, HERE [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
James Ashley
LROC News System
Further down the wall of Klute W (38.2°N, 217.0°E), relative to yesterday's Featured Image (and below), the landslide rubble appears to have either been mixed with, or deposited adjacent to, impact melt.
The melt deposits produce lobate margins appearing much like lava flows, and the smoother surfaces present more small impact craters than the nearby rough surfaces. Unlike the unconsolidated (loosely packed) landslide debris, the melt surfaces should be solid rock, having formed from rapidly cooling melt following the Klute W impact. Melt surfaces are therefore expected to preserve craters better than landslide materials (once again, see yesterday's Featured Image).
The melt deposits produce lobate margins appearing much like lava flows, and the smoother surfaces present more small impact craters than the nearby rough surfaces. Unlike the unconsolidated (loosely packed) landslide debris, the melt surfaces should be solid rock, having formed from rapidly cooling melt following the Klute W impact. Melt surfaces are therefore expected to preserve craters better than landslide materials (once again, see yesterday's Featured Image).
LROC Wide Angle Camera (WAC) monochrome mosaic of Klute W and surroundings. Square inset identifies Featured Image location, and you owe it to yourself to view the full-sized version HERE [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
Use the full LROC NAC frame to see if you can tell what is melt, what is landslide debris, and where the transitions occur on the Klute W wall. It is not always easy to tell!
Some related posts:
Mounds in a melt pond
Fragmented impact melt
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