Morpho-Structural Analysis of Impact Craters on Pluto: Implications for the Study of Complex Craters

This study investigates the morpho-structural characteristics of impact craters on Pluto, employing high-resolution topographic data and image mosaics from NASA’s Dawn mission. Pluto´craters were classified into three main categories: simple, transitional, and complex, based on the morpho-structural distinctions observed. We introduce a refined classification for Pluto's complex craters, grouping them into three subcategories—Complex I, II, and III—based on their morpho-structural characteristics (such as the presence of central peaks, terraces, flat floors, etc.).本研究聚焦冥王星撞击坑的形态结构特征，采用美国国家航空航天局（National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA）黎明号（Dawn）任务获取的高分辨率地形数据与影像镶嵌图开展相关分析。研究团队依据观测到的形态结构差异，将冥王星撞击坑划分为简单型、过渡型与复杂型三大主要类别。针对冥王星复杂撞击坑，本研究提出了精细化分类方案，根据其形态结构特征（如中央峰、坑壁阶地、平坦坑底等构造的存在情况）将其进一步细分为Complex I、Complex II与Complex III三个亚类。