Abstract
A mechanism through which water could be buried inside the Moon is found. If an icy comet strikes the planetary surface and a thin natural crack exists at the site of the impact, some amount of cometary material can penetrate deep into the ground. This happens due to peculiar features of hydrodynamic flow along the crack. Numerical simulations based on the free-Lagrangian method show that the amount of water buried under the crater is ∼ several percent of the original mass of the projectile.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Bergelson, V.I., Nemtchinov, I.V., Orlova, T.I., and Khazins, V.M.: 1990, ‘Propagation of strong shock waves in locally nonuniform condensed media’,Pisma Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 16, 72–75.
Bergelson, V.I., Nemtchinov, I.V., Orlova, T.I., and Khazins, V.M.: 1991, ‘Impact of large-scale meteoric bodies on a solid surface with splits and breaks’,Astron. Vestnik 25, 344–349.
Hazins, V.M., and Svetsov, V.V.: 1993, ‘A conservative stable smoothness-enhancing free-Lagrangian method’,J. Comput. Phys. 105, 187–198.
Melosh, H.J.: 1989,Impact cratering: A geologic process, Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, Clarendon Press, New York, 245p.
Middlehurst, B.M.: 1977, ‘Transient lunar phenomena, deep moonquakes, and high-frequency teleseismic events: possible connections’,Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A. 285, 485–487.
Mirels, H.: 1988, ‘Interaction of moving shock with thin stationary thermal layer’, in H. Gronig (ed.),Shock Tubes and Waves, VCH, Weinheim, New York, 177–183.
Neukum, G., and Ivanov, B.A.: 1994, ‘Crater size distributions and impact probabilities on Earth from lunar, terrestrial-planet, and asteroid cratering data’, in T. Gehrels (ed.),Hazards due to Comets and Asteroids, Univ. Arizona Press, Tucson. 359–416.
O'Keefe, J.D., and Ahrens, T.J.: 1982, ‘Cometary and meteorite swarm impact on planetary surfaces’,J. Geophys. Res. 87, 6668–6680.
Shreffler, R.G., and Cristian, R.H.: 1954, ‘Boundary disturbances in high explosive shock tubes’,J. Appl. Phys. 25, 324–331.
Warren, N., and Trice, R.: 1977, ‘Structure in the upper lunar crust’,Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A. 285, 469–473.
Wilhelms, D.E.: 1987,The geologic history of the Moon, U.S. Gov. Print. Office, Washington.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Orlova, T.I., Svetsov, V.V. Deep penetration of projectile material into the planet during the impact. Earth Moon Planet 71, 255–263 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00612967
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00612967