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Hodges, C. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Hodges, C. A..

8 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1978

Formation of lunar basin rings

The outer rings of impact basins are interpreted as the bounding rings of the excavated basin cavities analogous to Copernicus-type crater rim crests. It is suggested that the inner rings are strata from depth uplifted during excavation of the transient cavity. Spacing relations and morphology appear to indicate a transition from central peaks to rings but not from terraces to rings. Evidence related to terrestrial craters with rings or peaks produced by meteorite impacts suggests that one or more crater rims may form inside the main, outer crater rim, resulting in nested craters. There is some evidence that peaks grade into inner rings as material is ejected from their cores in progressively larger impacts. Multiply layered materials may produce multiple rings by differential excavation of the layers.

Hodges, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

The Aristarchus-Harbinger region of the moon - Surface geology and history from recent remote-sensing observations

Photographic and remote sensing observations made from earth and Apollo orbiting spacecraft were used to study the Aristarchus Plateau-Montes Harbinger region. The appearance of the area is described, and a delineation of geologic map units and their stratigraphic relationships is presented. Physical and chemical properties of certain of the geologic units are deduced, and the interrelationships between materials of volcanic and impact origin, including the effects of excavation, redistribution, and mixing of previously deposited materials by younger impact craters, are discussed. A detailed geologic history of the region is developed. Attention is directed to the anomalous red dark mantle on the plateau; it is thought that this layer consists of fine-grained block-free material containing a relatively large fraction of orange glass, and that this layer is probably of pyroclastic origin, laid down at some time during the Imbrian period of mare flooding.

Zisk, S. H.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Nested-crater model of lunar ringed basins

We propose a model for the origin of impact-basin rings whereby the main topographic rim of a basin approximates the limit of excavation and inner rings approximate the rims of craters formed inside the transient crater by some perturbation in the cratering process. The cause of this complexity in transient cavities may be the presence of discontinuities in the target material. The second inward ring may have formed at the seismic discontinuity about 20 km deep in the lunar crust, and the third, innermost ring of a few large basins at the crust-mantle interface about 60 km deep. Slumping increased the original diameters of many rings and split some initially coherent rings into subsidiary or partial rings. Deformation outside the transient crater produced external arcs. This model differs from prevalent hypotheses of ring formation whereby an inner ring approximates the transient crater rim and major faulting of the flank produced the outer ring structures.

Wilhelms, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Origin of lunar light plains

In order to determine the origin of Cayley-type lunar light plains, their physical properties, distribution, and relative ages are examined from Apollo orbital and Lunar Orbiter photographs. The distribution and apparent age of the plains deposits and data on highly feldspathic breccias indicate that these superficial materials are neither locally derived nor part of the Imbrium ejecta. The existence of a planar facies of continuous ejecta at Orientale and in the ejecta blankets of small craters is demonstrated. The data and interpretation presented support the hypothesis that the surface and near-surface materials of some light plains, including those at the Apollo 16 site, are at least partly composed of ejecta from the Orientale basin and that the materials of many rugged areas, such as the Descartes highlands, are overlain by similar material. The possibility that some Cayley-type plains may have a different origin is not excluded.

Chao, E. C. T.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Multiringed basins - Illustrated by Orientale and associated features

Geologic mapping and photographs of the Orientale multiring basin are studied as to origin, size, and nature and distribution of ejecta. Six facies of ejecta are observed around the Cordillera Mountains: concentric, radial, smooth plains, grooved, secondary impact craters, and fissured. Transport of these ejecta occurred by block gliding, landsliding, debris flow, and possibly by base surge, viscous flow, and ballistic ejection. The ejecta are mainly clastic types, but melts and annealed breccias are expected to be abundant. Mixing of ejecta and substrate materials must have occurred; compositions of the ejecta are probably zoned laterally and vertically.

Moore, H. J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Mare ridges and lava lakes

The autointrusive hypothesis of the origin of several vagaries of prominent mare ridges is explained. Data are based on a comparison between the structure of a Hawaiian lava lake and the mare ridges. Resulting data suggest that these ridges may have formed as squeeze-ups and autointrusives in tension fractures over buried topography in the crust of luna lava lakes. Data also suggest that mare ridges may result from: (1) pressure ridges in flows, (2) compressional features resulting from subsidence of mare lava, (3) volcanic ring structures and extrusives, or loccoliths fed by lunar grid controlled dikes, (4) draped topography and fissure eruptives, (5) drag folds or tension-gash dikes caused by wrench faulting at depth, and (6) postmare thrust faults.

Hodges, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Geologic setting of Apollo 16

Prior to the Apollo 16 mission, the materials of the Cayley Plains and the Descartes Mountains were thought to be mostly of volcanic origin. Rock and soil samples from these regions strongly suggest, however, that they may be products of multiring basin forming impacts, although minor local volcanism is not precluded. The smooth planar surfaces may have been formed initially by Imbrium ejecta which flowed into topographic lows at the distal margins of the lineated Fra Mauro ejecta. It is emphasized, however, that the rocks and soils returned from the Apollo 16 site cannot necessarily be considered representative of the lunar crust in the Descartes region from which they were collected.

Hodges, C. A.↗