Abstract
AbstractThe roughness properties of impact craters are valuable indicators of crater degradation and can provide insight into crater ages. We evaluate the roughness of lunar craters from different geologic eras, confirming that young, Copernican craters are distinctly rougher than older craters. We evaluate the potential age of small (less than ~15 km) craters that are thought to host surface ice by quantifying the roughness inside these craters, as well as outside. Interior roughness may be subdued by slope processes or the presence of volatiles. The distribution of ice‐bearing craters is skewed toward roughness values higher than those of pre‐Imbrian craters, although no ice‐bearing craters are within the Copernican‐only domain in roughness space. All of the 15 rough, permanently shadowed craters that are found within the Copernican‐only domain lack water‐ice detections, suggesting that either ice has not been delivered to these young craters or that it has since been destroyed.
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