The Timing and Origin of Lobate Ejecta Forms at Craters in Mercury's South Polar Region

Abstract

We present six newly identified examples of lobate ejecta in Mercury's south polar quadrangle (H15), providing the first evidence of syn-impact formation through our observation of perched impact melt at Nairne and Magritte craters. This finding challenges the idea that lobate forms could have developed post-impact via mass wasting or landslide processes, suggesting instead that many, if not all, lobate ejecta deposits formed contemporaneously with the impact event. We present detailed morphostratigraphic maps of two exemplary case studies: Nairne and Magritte, for which we used shadow measurements to better constrain the morphology of their lobes. Many examples globally, including Nairne, have been formed by deposition of the lobe material into a topographically lower antecedent crater. While we confirm that topography plays a significant role in the formation of lobate ejecta, it cannot be the sole factor, as similar impacts onto pre-existing craters do not always produce these features and not all lobate ejecta exhibit evidence for a topographic control. Our study also highlights the frequent association between lobate ejecta and characteristics of oblique impacts. Considering analogous features at Mars and the Moon in particular, lobate ejecta on Mercury is likely the result of either fluidized or dry granular flows, with minimal delay between impact and emplacement. Our findings suggest that lobate ejecta are more widespread on Mercury than previously recognized, and future studies and missions, such as a comprehensive global survey with higher resolution data from BepiColombo, will continue to constrain their formation mechanisms and prevalence.