Fantastic Craters and Where to Count Them: Analysis of Crater Size-Frequency Distributions on Tethys and Dione
Abstract
Impact cratering is a geologic process that dominates planetary surfaces across the solar system. Due to its prevalence, impact cratering has been used to date planetary surfaces. Based on crater counts on Saturn's moons, the moons' ages are estimated as 4.5 Gyr, i.e., contemporaneous with Saturn's formation. Recent dynamical models suggest the moons could be as young as 100 Myr or range in age from 4.5 Gyr to 1 Gyr. We utilize high-resolution imagery from the Cassini spacecraft to analyze the impact crater size-frequency distributions (CSFDs) on Tethys and Dione, to investigate any potential change in impactor populations over the histories of these satellites. We find that the oldest region on Tethys has an enhanced population of small (D < 4 km) craters compared to the other regions. Our counts on Dione show slopes consistent with previous studies on the moon, that potentially indicate a planetocentric origin of the impactors.
- Publication:
-
EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019
- Pub Date:
- September 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019EPSC...13.2053F