The expected frequency of doublet craters

Abstract

The problem of the expected number of doublets is investigated both by a probabilistic calculation analogous to that employed by Oberbeck and Aoyagi (1972) and by a Monte Carlo simulation procedure. On the basis of a comparison of the models and the Mars data for craters in the diameter range from 4 to 250 km it is found that at most a few percent of the craters may be nonrandomly located as doublets. It is pointed out that previous conclusions regarding a possible excess of doublets on both the moon and Mercury should also be reevaluated. Random clustering of three or more craters is not as rare as might have been expected, with at least 25% of all of the craters, for the Mars data, expected to participate in such clusters.