Analysis of Pit Craters on the Eastern Wall of Hale Crater

MANTEGAZZA, MARA; SPAGNUOLO, MAURO

Congreso; 52nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 2021; 2021

Hale crater located at 35.7°S 36.34°W in the north region of Argyre basin it?s a complex impact crater with a central peak and a slightly elliptical rim (140 in the short axis and 160 km in the long axis). Hale is one of the largest impact craters that has associated channels with a radial pattern. Several works have identified and described geoforms associated with glacial and periglacial environments, such as lateral moraines, rock glaciers, polygonized surface. In addition, the presence of gullies on the walls of the crater indicates recent water activity that some authors associated with ice melting and groundwater. Here we report depressions and glacial and periglacial geoforms found in the external east-facing slope of the crater rim. In particular, circular to subcircular depressions are recognized whose characteristics are compatible with those of pit craters. In this work we identify and map this region of the Hale crater and propose possible formation mechanisms.