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10 - Geomorphology of Ceres

from Part II - Key Results from Dawn’s Exploration of Vesta and Ceres

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2022

By
David A. Williams ,
Andreas Nathues  and
Jennifer E. C. Scully
Edited by
Simone Marchi ,
Carol A. Raymond  and
Christopher T. Russell
Simone Marchi
Affiliation:
Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado
Carol A. Raymond
Affiliation:
California Institute of Technology
Christopher T. Russell
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles
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Summary

The dwarf planet Ceres has unique geomorphology, different from airless silicate objects like the Moon or asteroid Vesta, but also different from the icy outer planet satellites. All four primary planetary geologic processes [impact cratering, tectonism, volcanism, and gradation (weathering, erosion, and deposition of loose material)] are visible on Ceres’ surface.Ceres’ low albedo, heavily cratered surface displays craters <300 km in diameter, in which the lack of larger, multi-ring basins suggests resurfacing event(s) early in the dwarf planet’s history. Ejecta blankets in the youngest craters display bluish ejecta and rays, and lobate deposits in and around craters suggest impact slurries, ice-rich landslides, or cryovolcanic flows. Some landslides have exposed water ice, in less than a dozen locations on the surface. Tectonic features include impact-induced secondary crater chains and non-impact-related pit chains and fractures. Several impact craters have heavily fractured floors akin to those on the Moon. The distinctive mountain Ahuna Mons appears to be a cryovolcanic edifice, composed of a viscous, salt-rich, carbonate-bearing material. Ceres distinctive bright spots, Cerealia and Vinalia Faculae within Occator crater, are composed of salt-rich liquids containing carbonates, and were likely emplaced by some combination of deep brines extrusion and hydrothermal (shallow brines) processes.

Keywords

Ceres geologyCeralia and Vinalia FaculaeOccator crater
Type
Chapter
Information
Vesta and Ceres
Insights from the Dawn Mission for the Origin of the Solar System
 , pp. 143 - 158
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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