  A Monte Carlo (MC) simulation study of cosmic ray (CR) extensive air showers
(EAS) has been carried out in the energy regime of the KASCADE experiment. From
the characteristics of lateral distributions of electrons and muons of
simulated EAS, some important EAS observables are extracted by a novel
approach, and their CR mass-sensitivity is demonstrated. The study takes into
account the issue of the experimental lateral density profiles of EAS electrons
and muons after introducing the notion of the local age and segmented slope
parameters, aimed to extract information on CR mass composition from observed
data. The estimated lateral shower age and slope from the analysis of the
KASCADE data (KCDC) agrees with the idea of a gradual change of CR mass
composition from light to heavy around the knee.
