Abstract
Studies suggest that fracture systems are the driving mechanism for the formation of polygonal impact craters (PICs) on planetary bodies including the Moon and Vesta. We used the Java Mission-planning and Analysis for Remote Sensing crater application to investigate PICs on regional scales for both the Moon and Vesta to further understand how surface and subsurface fracture systems play a role in PIC formation. We measured the number of straight rim segments (sides) for each PIC, measured the angle between each of the straight rim segments and calculated the mean angle for each crater and the mean angle for the body to conduct a further analysis with other planetary bodies. The comparison with other planetary bodies helps to identify how PIC formation may vary based on a body's surface composition. From this study, it appears that surface fractures are not the main driving mechanism for PIC formation within our study regions and instead subsurface fractures may be the more dominant factor.
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