Figure 11: (A-D) Graphs comparing how the total height, pipe height, cone height, and deflection height relate (Supporting Table 1). See Figure 3B for explanation of measured parameters.
Comparative analyses
With our 3D seismic reflection data we are able to quantitatively assess relationships between the plan-view and cross-sectional geometry of the pit craters. Between pit crater total heights and long axis lengths there is a very weak positive correlation between for those above dykes (R2 = 0.17), no meaningful correlation for pit craters above dyke-induced faults (R2 = 0.04), but a strong positive correlation for those above tectonic faults (R2 = 0.71) (Fig. 12A). Visually similar pit craters recognised elsewhere across the Exmouth Plateau within dyke-induced graben (e.g., Fig. 2D) display a moderate (R2 = 0.37–0.50) positive correlation between total height and long axes (Fig. 12A) (see Velayatham et al., 2019). For all measured pit craters across the Exmouth Plateau there is no correlation (R2≤0.06) between total height and the aspect ratio of their long and short axes (Fig. 12B).
For pit craters above dykes, dyke-induced faults, and tectonic faults, there are positive, power-law correlations between cone height and pit crater long axes with R2 values of 0.61, 0.24, and 0.77 respectively (Fig. 12C); these trends are consistent with power-law correlations that define pit crater depth and long axes of craters observed elsewhere on Earth and on other planetary bodies (Fig. 12C) (e.g., Ferrill et al., 2011; Gwinner et al., 2012; Okubo & Martel, 1998; Scott & Wilson, 2002; Whitten & Martin, 2019; Wyrick et al., 2004). There is no correlation (<R2 = 0.08) between deflection height and pit crater long axes (Fig. 12C). Inverted cone volumes (1.34×10-4 km3 to 2.71×10-2 km3), and those of the deflected reflections (7.89×10-5 km3to 1.62×10-3 km3), are typically smaller than corresponding pipe volumes (1.41×10-3km3 to 2.79×10-1km3) (Supporting Table 1).