A. Ermakov
C.A. Raymond
R.R. Fu
D.P. O’Brien
Michael T. Bland
E. Ammannito
De Sanctis
Tim Bowling
P. Schenk
J.E.C. Scully
D.L. Buczkowski
D.A. Williams
H. Hiesinger
C.T. Russell
S. Marchi
2016
<p><span>Asteroids provide fundamental clues to the formation and evolution of planetesimals. Collisional models based on the depletion of the primordial main belt of asteroids predict 10–15 craters >400</span><span class="mb"><span class="mb"> </span></span><span>km should have formed on Ceres, the largest object between Mars and Jupiter, over the last 4.55</span><span class="mb"><span class="mb"> </span></span><span>Gyr. Likewise, an extrapolation from the asteroid Vesta would require at least 6–7 such basins. However, Ceres’ surface appears devoid of impact craters >~280</span><span class="mb"><span class="mb"> </span></span><span>km. Here, we show a significant depletion of cerean craters down to 100–150</span><span class="mb"><span class="mb"> </span></span><span>km in diameter. The overall scarcity of recognizable large craters is incompatible with collisional models, even in the case of a late implantation of Ceres in the main belt, a possibility raised by the presence of ammoniated phyllosilicates. Our results indicate that a significant population of large craters has been obliterated, implying that long-wavelength topography viscously relaxed or that Ceres experienced protracted widespread resurfacing.</span></p>
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10.1038/ncomms12257
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Nature Publishing Group
The missing large impact craters on Ceres
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