Testing landslide and atmospheric-effects models for the formation of double-layered ejecta craters on Mars

Double-layered ejecta (DLE) craters are distinctive among the variety of crater morphologies observed on Mars, but the mechanism by which they form remains under debate. We assess two ejecta emplacement mechanisms: (1) atmospheric effects from ejecta curtain-induced vortices or a base surge and (2) ballistic emplacement followed by a landslide of ejecta assisted by either surface-or pore-ice. We conduct a morphological analysis of the ejecta facies for three DLE craters which impacted into irregular pre-existing topography. We find that the unique topographic environments affected the formation of grooves and the inner facies, and thus appear to be inconsistent with an atmospheric-effects origin but are supportive of the landslide hypothesis. We distinguish between the two landslide models (lubrication by either surface-or pore-ice) by assessing relationships between DLE crater ejecta and morphologic features indicative of buried ice deposits, including sublimation pits, ring-mold craters, expanded secondary craters, and excess ejecta craters. The association of DLE craters with these features suggests that surface ice was present at the time of the impacts that formed the DLE craters. We also compare the Froude numbers of DLE crater ejecta to landslides, and find that the ejecta of DLE craters are kinematically and frictionally similar to terrestrial landslides that overran glaciers. This suggests that the grooves on DLE craters may plausibly form through the same shear/splitting mechanism as the landslides. In summary, our analysis supports the hypothesis that DLE craters form through meteoroid impacts into decameters-thick surface ice deposits (emplaced during periods of higher obliquity) followed by ejecta sliding on the ice.