Analysis of polygonal impact craters (PICs) can be used to investigate the presence and orientations of subtle and/or buried faults and fractures across the solar system that may otherwise be unobservable in spacecraft images. Although this technique has been vetted for the analysis of extensional structures, no previous work has investigated if PICs also form on contractional thrust faults. This determination, which we investigated in this work, is critical for accurate tectonic setting interpretations from PICs. Mercury shows an abundance of thrust-fault-related landforms, making it an ideal laboratory to perform this investigation. In this work, we found that Mercury’s thrust faults, and their overlying folds and fractures, cause some complex craters ∼20 km or larger to form PICs. However, in most cases, craters form as circular impact craters on these structures. When PIC straight rim segments do form, they parallel the lobate scarp thrust faults and fold hinges. Some PICs likely formed as a result of an impact’s interaction with the thrust fault itself, while others may have interacted with fold hinge joints. The parallel relationship between PICs and shortening structures is consistent with the well-established relationship between PICs and extensional structures. Therefore, in addition to extensional fractures, contractional features should also be taken into consideration when utilizing PICs to interpret tectonic settings on bodies across the solar system.

中文翻译：

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水星的叶状陡坡揭示了收缩结构上形成的多边形撞击坑

多边形撞击坑 (PIC) 的分析可用于研究整个太阳系中微妙和/或埋藏的断层和裂缝的存在和方向，否则这些断层和裂缝在航天器图像中可能无法观察到。尽管该技术已经过对伸展结构分析的审查，但之前没有研究过 PIC 是否也在收缩逆冲断层上形成。我们在这项工作中研究的这一确定对于准确解释 PIC 的构造环境至关重要。水星显示出丰富的逆冲断层相关地貌，使其成为进行这项调查的理想实验室。在这项工作中，我们发现水星的逆冲断层及其上覆的褶皱和裂缝导致一些约 20 公里或更大的复杂陨石坑形成 PIC。然而，在大多数情况下，这些结构上的陨石坑形成为圆形撞击坑。当 PIC 直缘段形成时，它们与叶状陡坡逆冲断层和褶皱铰链平行。一些 PIC 可能是由于撞击与逆冲断层本身相互作用而形成的，而另一些可能是与褶皱铰链节相互作用而形成的。 PIC 与缩短结构之间的平行关系与 PIC 与伸展结构之间已确立的关系一致。因此，在利用 PIC 解释整个太阳系天体的构造环境时，除了伸展断裂外，还应考虑收缩特征。