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Geology of Lofn Crater, CallistoLofn crater is a 180-km-diameter impact structure in the southern cratered plains of Callisto and is among the youngest features seen on the surface. The Lofn area was imaged by the Galileo spacecraft at regional-scale resolutions (875 m/pixel), which enable the general geology to be investigated. The morphology of Lofn crater suggests that (1) it is a class of impact structure intermediate between complex craters and palimpsests or (2) it formed by the impact of a projectile which fragmented before reaching the surface, resulting in a shallow crater (even for Callisto). The asymmetric pattern of the rim and ejecta deposits suggests that the impactor entered at a low angle from the northwest. The albedo and other characteristics of the ejecta deposits from Lofn also provide insight into the properties of the icy lithosphere and subsurface configuration at the time of impact. The "target" for the Lofn impact is inferred to have included layered materials associated with the Adlinda multiring structure northwest of Loh and ejecta deposits from the Heimdall crater area to the southeast. The Lofn impact might have penetrated through these materials into a viscous substrate of ductile ice or possibly liquid water. This interpretation is consistent with models of the current interior of Callisto based on geophysical information obtained from the Galileo spacecraft.
Document ID
20030018897
Acquisition Source
Headquarters
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Greeley, Ronald
(Arizona State Univ. Tempe, AZ United States)
Heiner, Sarah
(Arizona State Univ. Tempe, AZ United States)
Klemaszewski, James E.
(Arizona State Univ. Tempe, AZ United States)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
February 25, 2001
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Publisher: American Geophysical Union
Volume: 106
Issue: E2
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Report/Patent Number
Paper-2000JE001262
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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