The Impact Crater Size-Frequency Distribution on Pluto Follows a Truncated Pareto Distribution: Results from a First Data Set Based on the Recent New Horizons' Flyby

TL;DR

This study analyzes Pluto's impact crater size-frequency distribution using New Horizons data, revealing it follows a truncated Pareto distribution, which provides new insights into planetary surface processes and impact history.

Contribution

It introduces the application of a truncated Pareto distribution to model Pluto's crater size-frequency data, expanding the understanding of planetary surface crater distributions.

Findings

Crater size-frequency distribution follows a power law with alpha=2.4926.

The entire crater SFD fits a truncated Pareto distribution.

Data spans diameters from 1.2 km to 37.7 km.

Abstract

Recently it could be shown ( that the impact crater size-frequency distribution of Pluto (based on an analysis of first images obtained by the recent New Horizons flyby) follows a power law alpha = 2.4926 in the interval of diameter (D) values ranging from 3.75 km to the largest determined value of 37.77 km. A reanalysis of this data set revealed that the whole crater SFD (i.e., with values in the interval of 1.2-37.7 km) can be described by a truncated Pareto distribution.