Definition
Craters with a variable amount of postimpact cover produced by a range of geologic processes (e.g., volcanic, sedimentary, impact, aeolian). In the extreme case, the crater can be completely buried and is no longer visible. In some cases, a buried crater will produce a structural expression in the material that has buried it.
Synonyms
Blanketed crater; Covered crater; Filled crater; Inundated crater; Walled plains (obsolete, for lunar flat floor crater)
Description
Crater that has been partly to completely overlain, after its formation, by younger material. That material can be of volcanic, sedimentary, impact, or aeolian origin (e.g., basaltic (low albedo) lava (mare (Moon)), impact melt (impact melt pond), impact debris sheet (light plains (Moon)), or sediment (crater lake, Mars).
If the crater is completely buried, there may be no surface expression. If burial is incomplete, the crater rim may remain partly exposed.
For craters whose diameters are above the...
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References
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Herrick, R.R., Plescia, J.B. (2015). Buried Crater. In: Hargitai, H., Kereszturi, Á. (eds) Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_31
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_31
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