Definition
Impact crater ejecta emplaced along ballistic trajectories; showing a radial texture and pattern; and consisting of an inner, continuous, thick, hummocky unit and an outer, discontinuous portion dominated by secondary craters (Melosh 1989).
Category
A type of ejecta
Synonyms
As applied to basin ejecta material: circumbasin materials; Ballistic ejecta; Blocky ejecta blanket; Dry ejecta; Glacis with spurs (Elger 1895, obsolete); Lunar radial ejecta; Lunar-like morphology; Radial single-layer ejecta (Barlow et al. 2000)
Description
Ejecta that displays a combination of ridges of ejected material, crater chains and rays, all radial to the crater (Figs. 1 and 2). Secondary crater chains can extend to 100s of crater radii from the crater rim (McEwen et al. 2005). The ejecta blanket forms a gentle slope from the raised rim crest to the level of the surrounding terrain (Melosh 1989). No distal ridge (rampart) or lobate (layered) structure is present in radial ejecta.
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Hargitai, H. (2015). Radial Ejecta. In: Hargitai, H., Kereszturi, Á. (eds) Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_294
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_294
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