Landscape evolution of planetary surfaces: Comparative analysis of impact craters in the solar system

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The long-term objective of my research program is to understand how planetary surfaces evolve over time, and characterize the processes working to shape these landscapes. To achieve these goals, I will study the morphology and distribution of impact craters on the surface of planets and satellites in the solar system. Impact cratering is a ubiquitous process in the solar system, with most planets and moons retaining thousands of scars from past impacts. By comparing fresh craters on airless worlds to their more degraded counterparts on planets with atmospheres, we can quantify the amount of modification that has occurred and constrain the processes that affect the evolution of planetary surfaces.***This research program aims to determine how craters evolve over time on different worlds in the solar system. This will be accomplished through three main objectives:***1. Characterize fresh impact craters on terrestrial planets: Impact craters on the Moon and Venus provide relatively pristine analogues for craters observed on the Earth. One feature that is commonly observed around young, fresh craters is flow-like deposits of impact melt. We will use publicly available data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and the Magellan mission to explore several hypotheses regarding the origin and emplacement of melt flows around impact craters on terrestrial planets. ***2. Compare impact crater morphology on terrestrial planets: Using data obtained in Objective 1, we will investigate the role that erosion has played in shaping the Earth's impact craters. We will compare the topographic profiles of craters on Earth to craters on other terrestrial planets, and use publicly available landscape evolution models to constrain the type of erosion responsible for their modification.***3. Constrain the processes modifying impact craters on Titan: Like the Earth, Saturn's moon Titan has a dearth of recognizable impact craters on its surface. We will analyze data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft to understand the processes that effect crater degradation on Titan. We will extract spectra of Titan's craters, and compare them to the compositions expected from different degradation mechanisms. ***By carrying out the proposed objectives, we will obtain valuable data that can be used to identify the processes working to modify craters over time, critical for understanding the landscape evolution of the Earth and other planets. This research program will provide opportunities for training Highly Qualified Personnel at the postgraduate and undergraduate levels, preparing them for careers in the field of remote sensing, a high priority area for Canadian industry and government.**