The missing large impact craters on Ceres

S. Marchi; A. Ermakov; C.A. Raymond; R.R. Fu; D.P. O'Brien; Michael T. Bland; E. Ammannito; M.C. De Sanctis; Tim Bowling; P. Schenk; J.E.C. Scully; D.L. Buczkowski; D.A. Williams; H. Hiesinger; C.T. Russell

doi:10.1038/ncomms12257

The missing large impact craters on Ceres

Nature Communications

By: S. Marchi, A. Ermakov, C.A. Raymond, R.R. Fu, D.P. O'Brien, Michael T. Bland, E. Ammannito, M.C. De Sanctis, Tim Bowling, P. Schenk, J.E.C. Scully, D.L. Buczkowski, D.A. Williams, H. Hiesinger, and C.T. Russell

https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12257

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Abstract

Asteroids provide fundamental clues to the formation and evolution of planetesimals. Collisional models based on the depletion of the primordial main belt of asteroids predict 10–15 craters >400 km should have formed on Ceres, the largest object between Mars and Jupiter, over the last 4.55 Gyr. Likewise, an extrapolation from the asteroid Vesta would require at least 6–7 such basins. However, Ceres’ surface appears devoid of impact craters >~280 km. Here, we show a significant depletion of cerean craters down to 100–150 km in diameter. The overall scarcity of recognizable large craters is incompatible with collisional models, even in the case of a late implantation of Ceres in the main belt, a possibility raised by the presence of ammoniated phyllosilicates. Our results indicate that a significant population of large craters has been obliterated, implying that long-wavelength topography viscously relaxed or that Ceres experienced protracted widespread resurfacing.

Additional publication details
Publication type	Article
Publication Subtype	Journal Article
Title	The missing large impact craters on Ceres
Series title	Nature Communications
DOI	10.1038/ncomms12257
Volume	7
Year Published	2016
Language	English
Publisher	Nature Publishing Group
Publisher location	London
Contributing office(s)	Astrogeology Science Center
First page	Article #12257
Other Geospatial	Ceres
Online Only (Y/N)	N
Additional Online Files (Y/N)	N
Google Analytic Metrics	Metrics page