Morphology and Sedimentary Structures of Medial-to-Distal Ejecta Reveal Debris-Flow Dynamics at the Chang'e-4 Landing Site

Morphology and Sedimentary Structures of Medial-to-Distal Ejecta Reveal Debris-Flow Dynamics at the Chang'e-4 Landing Site | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 29 May 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Morphology and Sedimentary Structures of Medial-to-Distal Ejecta Reveal Debris-Flow Dynamics at the Chang'e-4 Landing Site Authors : Landerlei Almeida Santos 0000-0003-3639-0592 , Feng Zhou 0000-0003-1649-8053 [email protected] , and Alvaro Penteado Crósta 0000-0003-0485-1147 Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174854020.08899508/v1 Published Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets Version of record Peer review timeline 187 views 122 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Impact cratering plays a major role in shaping the Moon’s surface, producing widespread ejecta deposits that archive the sedimentary and morphological imprint of planetary surface processes. Since early 2019, Chang’e-4 mission has been investigating such deposits within Von Kármán crater, where materials ejected from the nearby Finsen crater were emplaced across a complex landscape. This setting offers a rare opportunity to study ejecta emplacement directly from the ground. Yet, despite valuable in-situ subsurface exploration, the geomorphic patterns and depositional mechanisms of these ejecta remain unconstrained at the scale of individual landforms. Here we integrate digital terrain analysis with lunar penetrating radar data to characterize the morphology and internal structure of the landform traversed by the mission’s rover. The analysis defines the spatial extent of the landform and reveals its intricate morphology, configured as an ridge over a sheet-like flow. Internally, we identify two stacked sedimentary sequences overlying mare basalt: a basal paleoregolith marked by hummocky structure, overlain by Finsen ejecta. Ejecta morphology reflects interactions between local topography and deposition volume, with ridge areas reaching ~30 m in thickness, including ~10 m imaged by radar. The landform’s shape and subsurface architecture support the interpretation that emplacement triggered a syn-depositional dry debris flow that remobilized the underlying paleoregolith. These findings provide an example of medial-to-distal ejecta emplacement shaped by dynamic processes, contrasting with more static classical models. They demonstrate how integrating surface and subsurface data supports reproducible ejecta models, offering a framework for investigations across the Moon and other planetary surfaces. Supplementary Material File (1033956_0_merged_1747978827.pdf) Download 3.33 MB File (agu-manuscript-ejecta ce-4-las-may-2025-.docx) Download 6.80 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 29 May 2025 Peer review timeline Published Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets Version of Record 7 Nov 2025 Published Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords chang'e-4 debris flow emplacement ejecta architecture lunar penetrating radar lunar surface processes von kármán crater Authors Affiliations Landerlei Almeida Santos 0000-0003-3639-0592 China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) View all articles by this author Feng Zhou 0000-0003-1649-8053 [email protected] China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) View all articles by this author Alvaro Penteado Crósta 0000-0003-0485-1147 University of Campinas View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 187 views 122 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Landerlei Almeida Santos, Feng Zhou, Alvaro Penteado Crósta. Morphology and Sedimentary Structures of Medial-to-Distal Ejecta Reveal Debris-Flow Dynamics at the Chang'e-4 Landing Site. Authorea . 29 May 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174854020.08899508/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. 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