Cratering on Asteroids

Impact craters are a ubiquitous feature of asteroid surfaces. On a local scale, small craters puncture the surface in a way similar to that observed on terrestrial planets and the Moon. At the opposite extreme, larger craters often approach the physical size of asteroids, thus globally affecting their shapes and surface properties. Crater measurements are a powerful investigation means. Crater spatial and size distributions inform us of fundamental processes, such as asteroid collisional history. A paucity of craters, sometimes observed, may be diagnostic of mechanisms of erasure that are unique on low-gravity asteroids. By-products of impacts, such as ridges, troughs, and blocks, inform us of the bulk structure. In this chapter we review the major properties of crater populations on asteroids visited by spacecraft. In doing so we provide key examples to illustrate how craters affect the overall shape and can be used to constrain asteroid surface ages, bulk properties, and impact-driven surface evolution.

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