Secondary craters are impact craters formed by the ejecta that was thrown out of a larger crater. They sometimes form radial crater chains. In addition, secondary craters are often seen as clusters or rays surrounding primary craters. The study of secondary craters exploded around the mid-twentieth century when researchers studying surface craters to predict the age of planetary bodies realized that secondary craters contaminated the crater statistics of a body's crater count.[1]
- ^ Robbins, Stuart J; Hynek, Brian M (8 May 2014). "The secondary crater population of Mars". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 400 (400): 66–76. Bibcode:2014E&PSL.400...66R. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2014.05.005.