Abstract
The Maxwell-Z model of impact features is expanded from later additions in the literatures and additionally expanded here to model lunar impact features greater than 10 km in diameter; the model is used to fit 74 impact features. Maxwell developed the first model of a crater caused by a hypersonic shock wave launched by a surface explosion (Maxwell 1977). Croft extended the Maxwell Z-model to cover subsurface explosions, since hypervelocity impactors penetrate the surface before transferring most of their energy to a shock wave (Croft 1980). Housen, Schmidt and Holsapple further extended the Maxwell Z-model to introduce dimensional modeling and produce equations for a wide variety of variables, including the launch velocity of ejecta (Housen et al. 1983). After these extensions, the Maxwell Z-model was very successful in describing the shape of hypervelocity impact events in the laboratory, on Earth, and on the Moon, for features up to 10 km in diameter. However, there was a puzzle.
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