New crater on the Moon and a swarm of secondaries

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera images acquired both before and after the formation of an 18.8 m diameter crater on 17 March 2013 reveal intricate details of ejecta distribution and the structure of the top two meters of the regolith. Our observations indicate that (I) the regolith is mature down to several tens of cm and immature below one meter, (2) surface reflectivity properties are affected for distances greater than fifty crater radii, and (3) large numbers of secondary impacts (splotches) formed up to 30 km distant from this new primary crater. These observations provide new knowledge of the distribution of ejected materials from small impact craters on the Moon, the modification of the top few cm of the regolith by micrometeorite impacts, and potential hazards to future explorers. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.