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Milton, D. J.

Publications and source records attributed to Milton, D. J..

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1977

Shatter cones - An outstanding problem in shock mechanics

Shatter cone characteristics are surveyed. Shatter cones, a form of rock fracture in impact structures, apparently form as a shock front interacts with inhomogeneities or discontinuities in the rock. Topics discussed include morphology, conditions of formation, shock pressure of formation, and theories of formation. It is thought that shatter cones are produced within a limited range of shock pressures extending from about 20 to perhaps 250 kbar. Apical angles range from less than 70 deg to over 120 deg. Tentative hypotheses concerning the physical process of shock coning are considered. The range in shock pressures which produce shatter cones might correspond to the range in which shock waves decompose into elastic and deformational fronts.

Milton, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Shocked basalt from Lonar Impact Crater, India, and experimental analogues

Samples of Lonar basalts were experimentally shocked in vacuum to pressures between 200 and 650 kbar by a 20 mm, high-velocity gun. Plagioclase and palagonite in experimentally shocked samples show deformation similar to that in the naturally shocked rocks, but pyroxene does not show optically resolvable edge melting. It is estimated that pressures in excess of 800-1000 kbar are required for the formation of totally shock-melted rocks from nonporous basalt.

Kieffer, S. W.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Erosion by catastrophic floods on Mars and Earth

The morphologic features of the large Martian channels are shown to be strikingly similar to those of the Channeled Scabland of eastern Washington, produced by the catastrophic breakout floods of Pleistocene Lake Missoula. If the analogy is correct, floods involving water discharges of millions of cubic meters per second and peak flow velocities of tens of meters per second, but perhaps lasting no more than a few days, may have occurred on Mars.

Baker, V. R.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Carbon dioxide hydrate and floods on Mars

Ground ice on Mars probably consists largely of carbon dioxide hydrate. This hydrate dissociates upon release of pressure at temperatures between 0 and 10 C. The heat capacity of the ground would be sufficient to produce up to 4% (by volume) of water at a rate equal to that at which it can be drained away. Catastrophic dissociation of carbon dioxide hydrate during some past epoch when the near-surface temperature was in this range would have produced chaotic terrain and flood channels.

Milton, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Water and processes of degradation in the Martian landscape

It is shown that erosion has been active on Mars so that many of the surface landforms are products of degradation. Unlike earth, erosion has not been a universal process, but one areally restricted and intermittently active so that a landscape is the product of one or two cycles of erosion and large areas of essentially undisturbed primitive terrain; running water has been the principal agent of degradation. Many features on Mars are most easily explained by assuming running surface water at some time in the past; for a few features, running water is the only possible explanation.

Milton, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Water and processes of degradation in the Martian landscape.

Some large channels on Mars show features, notably bars and braiding, that indicate an origin by the action of running water. Smaller channels on steep slopes may have been produced by runoff of precipitation. Dendritic canyon systems suggest ground water sapping, which may have been an effective agent in cliff retreat generally. Extensive plains developed as cliffs retreated and, although modified by later wind action, may be regarded as relict landforms from a fluvial stage of Martian history.

Milton, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Preliminary Mariner 9 report on the geology of Mars.

Mariner 9 results indicate that Mars is geologically far more heterogeneous than previously suspected from earlier flyby missions; the surface has been shaped by volcanic, tectonic, erosional, and depositional activity. The equatorial region between 30 deg N and 30 deg S latitude is depicted in four geologic sketch maps, and seventeen geologic units are defined on the basis of their textural characteristics. The maps and the brief descriptions of geological units portrayed are followed by a series of more interpretive discussions dealing with topical problems and a summary geologic history. Topics covered include cratering, circular basins, volcanism, canyons, chaotic terrain, channels, and eolian activity.

Mccauley, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Geological framework of the south polar region of Mars.

The first 4 months of Mariner 9 photography of the south polar region are discussed. Three major geological units have been recognized, separated by erosional unconformities. From oldest to youngest they are: cratered terrain, pitted plains, and laminated terrain. The latter unit is unique in occurrence to the polar region, volatiles are probably involved in its origin, and may still be present within the laminated terrain as layered ice. The residual south polar cap has been observed to survive the disappearance of the thin annual CO2 frost deposit and to last virtually unchanged in outline through the southern summer. That exposed deposit is inferred to be composed of water-ice. The residual cap appears to lie at the apex of an unusual quasi-circular structure composed of laminated terrain; a similar structure also appears to exist near the north pole.

Murray, B. C.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Mariner 9 television observations of Phobos and Deimos.

Mariner 9 photographs of Phobos and Deimos have yielded new information about the orbits, rotation periods, sizes, shapes, and surface characteristics of the satellites. Both satellites appear to be in synchronous rotation. They are irregular, heavily cratered bodies whose shapes appear to have been determined largely by impact fragmentation and spalling. The surfaces of both satellites have crater densities close to saturation and nearly identical, very low albedos. Lower limits on the tensile and yield strengths are estimated, and it is concluded that both satellites may consist of well-consolidated, though possibly highly fractured material.

Pollack, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Gosses Bluff impact structure, Australia.

A comprehensive study has been carried out of the Gosses Bluff structure in Central Australia, which is a typical cryptoexplosion structure. The study included detailed geologic mapping, and seismic reflection and refraction, gravity, aeromagnetic, and ground magnetic surveys. It is concluded that the structure is an eroded crater formed by a single nearly instantaneous shock event, and that the event can be explained only by impact.

Milton, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Mariner 9 television reconnaissance of Mars and its satellites - Preliminary results.

At orbit insertion, the Martian surface was largely obscured by a dust haze with an extinction optical depth that ranged from near unity in the south polar region to probably greater than two over most of the planet. The only features clearly visible were the south polar cap, one dark spot in Nix Olympica, and three dark spots in the Tharsis region. During the third week, the atmosphere began to clear and surface visibility improved, but contrasts remained a fraction of their normal value. Each of the dark spots that apparently protrude through most of the dust-filled atmosphere has a crater or crater complex in its center. The craters apparently were formed by subsidence and resemble terrestrial calderas.

Masursky, H.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Apollo 16 landing site: Summary of earth based remote sensing data, part W

Infrared and radar studies of the Apollo 16 landing site are summarized. Correlations and comparisons between earth based remote sensing data, IR observations, and other data are discussed in detail. Remote sensing studies were devoted to solving two problems: (1) determining the physical difference between Cayley and Descartes geologic units near the landing site; and (2) determining the nature of the bright unit of Descartes mountain material.

Zisk, S. H.↗