Dust ponds

These are smooth deposits of dust accumulated in depressions on the surface of the body (like craters), contrasting from the rocky terrain around them.

[3] Laboratory experiments show that dusty surfaces tend to become smooth as a result of dust mobilization.

When these levitated dust travels into a shadowed region, they lose their charge and fall to the ground.

Fluidization of impact ejecta is believed to be the cause of structures named melt pools on moon.

The dust is uniformly distributed across the crater floor, producing smooth pond surfaces with a constant slope and shallow depth.

In asteroids with low gravity, less electrostatic difference is needed, resulting in more type-2 dust ponds.

The variation in albedo is thought to be due to mineral heterogeneity, or the difference in grain size.

Overall, ponds are formed in planetary bodies with dry brittle regolith or low volatile content.

In the Sagamihara and Muses-Sea regions of asteroid 25143 Itokawa, dust ponds were identified by Japanese probe Hayabusa.