Presenter(s)
Tyler S.L.Kadrie
Abstract
Asymmetric craters have been ob-served on sloped surfaces on the Moon [1] and extensively across Vesta [2] and Ceres [3]. For example, Lowell Crater (Fig. 1A) is a large crater on the surface of the Moon that has a small-er crater, Lowell H, which formed when an asteroid impacted the sloped surface of Lowell’s crater rim [1]. The topography map of Lowell H (Fig. 1B) shows the original sloped crater wall, the highly asymmetric and slumped Lowell H crater, and the debris flows that formed during its collapse.
Typically, impact cratering experiments are performed into smooth, flat-lying targets as a way to simplify the process. In the last decade, [4&5] have performed low-speed impacts into sloped targets. Here, we have used the Vertical Impact Facility (VIF) at NASA Johnson Space Center to fire 4.76-mm aluminum spheres at speeds of 1.5 km/s (3400 mph) into 0.4-0.8 mm rounded, sieved sand targets that were built to have slopes of 0°, 5°, 10°, 15°, and 20° above horizontal.
College
College of Science & Engineering
Department
Geoscience
Campus
Winona
First Advisor/Mentor
Jennifer L.B. Anderson
Location
Winona, Minnesota
Start Date
4-24-2025 10:00 AM
End Date
4-24-2025 11:00 AM
Presentation Type
Poster Session
Format of Presentation or Performance
In-Person
Session
1b=10am-11am
Poster Number
34
Unique Identifier
WSURCADay-2025-Kadrie
Included in
Experimental Impacts into Sloped Targets
Winona, Minnesota
Asymmetric craters have been ob-served on sloped surfaces on the Moon [1] and extensively across Vesta [2] and Ceres [3]. For example, Lowell Crater (Fig. 1A) is a large crater on the surface of the Moon that has a small-er crater, Lowell H, which formed when an asteroid impacted the sloped surface of Lowell’s crater rim [1]. The topography map of Lowell H (Fig. 1B) shows the original sloped crater wall, the highly asymmetric and slumped Lowell H crater, and the debris flows that formed during its collapse.
Typically, impact cratering experiments are performed into smooth, flat-lying targets as a way to simplify the process. In the last decade, [4&5] have performed low-speed impacts into sloped targets. Here, we have used the Vertical Impact Facility (VIF) at NASA Johnson Space Center to fire 4.76-mm aluminum spheres at speeds of 1.5 km/s (3400 mph) into 0.4-0.8 mm rounded, sieved sand targets that were built to have slopes of 0°, 5°, 10°, 15°, and 20° above horizontal.
