Definition
Simple impact crater exhibiting a conical shape.
Description
A conical crater lacks the characteristics of a complex crater like wall terraces and a central peak or pit. From this reason a conical crater is not classified as a complex but as a simple crater. However, while a classical simple crater has a nearly parabolic (bowl) shape (Melosh 1989), a conical crater is another type of simple crater exhibiting smooth, about constant-slope walls that taper towards the bottom. Its shape can be approximated by an inverted cone with a truncated cusp. The floor area is small compared to the rim area (Fig. 1). Visually a conical crater can be identified by its shadow contours (Fig. 2).
Lunar mare crater Euclides (left) and topographic profile derived from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter stereo images (Scholten et al. 2012) (right). The walls are conically shaped with a slope of about 33°, and the floor area is flat and small as compared to the rim area (about 5...
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References
Garvin JB et al (2011) Linne: simple lunar mare crater geometry from LRO observations. 42nd Lunar Planet Sci Conf, abstract# 2063, Houston
Giese B, Neukum G, Roatsch T, Denk T, Rorco CC (2006) Topographic modeling of Phoebe using Cassini images. Planet Space Sci 54:1156–1166
Housen KR, Holsapple KA, Voss ME (1999) Compaction as the origin of unusual craters on asteroid Mathilde. Nature 402:155–157
Melosh HJ (1989) Impact cratering. Oxford University Press, New York
Piekutowski A (1977) Cratering mechanisms observed in laboratory-scale high-explosive experiments. In: Roddy DJ, Pepin RO, Merrill RB (eds) Impact and explosion cratering. Pergamon Press, New York
Scholten F et al (2012) GLD100 – the near global lunar 100 m raster DTM from LROC WAC stereo image data. J Geophys Res. doi:10.1029/2011JE003926
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Giese, B. (2015). Conical 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_66
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_66
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