Ejecta deposits of Bakhuysen Crater, Mars

Bakhuysen is the largest Martian crater thus far identified with crater-related pitted material, which has been suggested previously to represent volatile-rich primary impact melt-bearing deposits. Unit Be1 is interpreted as the continuous ejecta blanket emplaced through ballistic sedimentation and radial flow. Unit Be2 shares many attributes with impact melt-rich ejecta seen on other planetary bodies (e.g., Earth, Moon, and Mercury) and is interpreted as having been emplaced as ground-hugging flows during the later modification stage of crater formation. Channels are observed as having emanated from Bakhuysen impactites and represents a clear example of the role of volatiles in the impact cratering process on Mars. Bakhuysen ejecta deposits and its associated features suggests that, if indeed a substantial volatile source is sampled by Martian impact events, then the formation of ejecta-associated channels on Mars are likely genetically linked to the formation of pitted materials where present. The preservation and exposure of the impact deposits of Bakhuysen present a unique opportunity to study these features and their relationship to the impact process on Mars.