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At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

The Large Impact Process Inferred from the Geology of Lunar Multiring Basins

The study of the geology of multiring impact basins on the Moon over the past ten years has given us a rudimentary understanding of how these large structures have formed and evolved on the Moon and other bodies. Two-ring basins on the Moon begin to form at diameters of about 300 km; the transition diameter at which more than two rings appear is uncertain, but it appears to be between 400 and 500 km in diameter. Inner rings tend to be made up of clusters or aligned segments of massifs and are arranged into a crudely concentric pattern; scarp-like elements may or may not be present. Outer rings are much more scarp-like and massifs are rare to absent. Basins display textured deposits, interpreted as ejecta, extending roughly an apparent basin radius exterior to the main topographic rim. Ejecta may have various morphologies, ranging from wormy and hummocky deposits to knobby surfaces; the causes of these variations are not known, but may be related to the energy regime in which the ejecta are deposited. Outside the limits of the textured ejecta are found both fields of satellitic craters (secondaries) and light plains deposits. Impact melt sheets are observed on the floors of relatively unflooded basins. Samples of impact melts from lunar basins have basaltic major-element chemistry, characterized by K, rare-earth elements (REE), P, and other trace elements of varying concentration (KREEP); ages are between 3.8 and 3.9 Ga. These lithologies cannot be produced through the fusion of known pristine (plutonic) rock types, suggesting the occurrence of unknown lithologies within the Moon. These melts were probably generated at middle to lower crustal levels. Ejecta compositions, preservation of pre-basin topography, and deposit morphologies all indicate that the excavation cavity of multiring basins is between about 0.4 and 0.6 times the diameter of the apparent crater diameter. Basin depths of excavation can be inferred from the composition of basin ejecta. A variety of mechanisms has been proposed to account for the formation of basin rings but none of them are entirely plausible. Mechanisms can be divided into two broad groups: (1) forcible uplift due to fluidization of the target; (2) concentric, brittle, fracturing and failure of the target, on regional (megaterraces) to global scales (lithospheric fracturing). Most basin rings are spaced at a constant factor on all planets. Evidence supports divergent ringforming models, so it may be that the ring-locating mechanism differs from the ring-forming mechanism. Thus, large-scale crustal foundering (megaterracing) could occur along concentric zones of weakness created by some type of resonant wave mechanism (fluidization and uplift); such immediate crustal adjustment could then be followed by long-term adjustment of the fractured lithosphere.

Spudis, Paul D.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Vestas Pinaria Region: Original Basaltic Achondrite Material Derived from Mixing Upper and Lower Crust

Analysis of data from the Dawn mission shows that the Pinaria region of Vesta spanning a portion of the rim of the Rheasilvia basin is bright and anhydrous. Reflectance spectra, absorption band centers, and their variations, cover the range of pyroxenes from diogenite-rich to howardite and eucrite compositions, with no evidence of olivine in this region. By examining band centers and depths of the floor, walls and rims of six major craters in the region, we find a lane of diogenite-rich material next to howardite-eucrite material that does not follow the local topography. The source of this material is not clear and is probably ejecta from post-Rheasilvia impacts. Material of a howardite-eucrite composition originating from beyond the Rheasilvia basin is evident on the western edge of the region. Overall, the Pinaria region exposes the complete range of basaltic achondrite parent body material, with little evidence of contamination of non-basaltic achondrite material. With both high reflectance and low abundance of hydrated material, this region of Vesta may be considered the "Pinaria desert".

Vesta↗
NASA NTRS2013

Surface Freshwater Storage and Variability in the Amazon Basin from Multi-Satellite Observations, 1993-2007

The amount of water stored and moving through the surface water bodies of large river basins (river, floodplains, wetlands) plays a major role in the global water and biochemical cycles and is a critical parameter for water resources management. However, the spatio-temporal variations of these freshwater reservoirs are still widely unknown at the global scale. Here, we propose a hypsographic curve approach to estimate surface freshwater storage variations over the Amazon basin combining surface water extent from a multi-satellite-technique with topographic data from the Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) from Advance Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER). Monthly surface water storage variations for 1993-2007 are presented, showing a strong seasonal and interannual variability, and are evaluated against in situ river discharge and precipitation. The basin-scale mean annual amplitude of approx. 1200 cu km is in the range of previous estimates and contributes to about half of the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) total water storage variations. For the first time, we map the surface water volume anomaly during the extreme droughts of 1997 (October-November) and 2005 (September-October) and found that during these dry events the water stored in the river and flood-plains of the Amazon basin was, respectively, approx. 230 (approx. 40%) and 210 (approx. 50%) cu km below the 1993-2007 average. This new 15year data set of surface water volume represents an unprecedented source of information for future hydrological or climate modeling of the Amazon. It is also a first step toward the development of such database at the global scale.

Storage↗
NASA NTRS1985

Report of the Workshop on Geologic Applications of Remote Sensing to the Study of Sedimentary Basins

The Workshop on Geologic Applications of Remote Sensing to the Study of Sedimentary Basins, held January 10 to 11, 1985 in Lakewood, Colorado, involved 43 geologists from industry, government, and academia. Disciplines represented ranged from vertebrate paleontology to geophysical modeling of continents. Deliberations focused on geologic problems related to the formation, stratigraphy, structure, and evolution of foreland basins in general, and to the Wind River/Bighorn Basin area of Wyoming in particular. Geological problems in the Wind River/Bighorn basin area that should be studied using state-of-the-art remote sensing methods were identified. These include: (1) establishing the stratigraphic sequence and mapping, correlating, and analyzing lithofacies of basin-filling strata in order to refine the chronology of basin sedimentation, and (2) mapping volcanic units, fracture patterns in basement rocks, and Tertiary-Holocene landforms in searches for surface manifestations of concealed structures in order to refine models of basin tectonics. Conventional geologic, topographic, geophysical, and borehole data should be utilized in these studies. Remote sensing methods developed in the Wind River/Bighorn Basin area should be applied in other basins.

Lang, H. R.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Interplanet variations in scale of crater morphology - Earth, Mars, Moon.

Craters on the Earth, Mars, and the Moon show a spectrum of morphologies with diameter increasing from simple, bowl-shaped craters through craters with increasingly complex central peaks, to craters with 'peak rings' and basins with multiple concentric scarps. In each category there is a range of diameters, centered around a characteristic diameter, D sub c. It is found that D sub c decreases as the size of the planet increases. Several possible explanations are considered. It is suggested that the effect results from a certain gravity scaling law. It is believed that all geological structures in which gravity is the dominant parameter affecting the morphology should follow this law.

Hartmann, W. K.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Cost effectiveness of conventional versus LANDSAT use data for hydrologic modeling

Six case studies were analyzed to investigate the cost effectiveness of using land use data obtained from LANDSAT as opposed to conventionally obtained data. A procedure was developed to determine the relative effectiveness of the two alternative means of acquiring data for hydrological modelling. The cost of conventionally acquired data ranged between $3,000 and $16,000 for the six test basins. Information based on LANDSAT imagery cost between $2,000 and $5,000. Results of the effectiveness analysis shows the differences between the two methods are insignificant. From the cost comparison and the act that each method, conventional and LANDSAT, is shown to be equally effective in developing land use data for hydrologic studies, the cost effectiveness of the conventional or LANDSAT method is found to be a function of basin size for the six test watersheds analyzed. The LANDSAT approach is cost effective for areas containing more than 10 square miles.

George, T. S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

High speed civil transport

The design process of the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) combines existing technology with the expectation of future technology to create a Mach 3.0 transport. The HSCT was designed to have a range in excess of 6000 nautical miles and carry up to 300 passengers. This range will allow the HSCT to service the economically expanding Pacific Basin region. Effort was made in the design to enable the aircraft to use conventional airports with standard 12,000 foot runways. With a takeoff thrust of 250,000 pounds, the four supersonic through-flow engines will accelerate the HSCT to a cruise speed of Mach 3.0. The 679,000 pound (at takeoff) HSCT is designed to cruise at an altitude of 70,000 feet, flying above most atmospheric disturbances.

Bogardus, Scott↗
NASA NTRS1993

Final report

In eastern Nevada and western Utah is an extensive terrane that has experienced a complex tectonic history of Mesozoic deformation and superposed Tertiary extension. The Mesozoic tectonic history of this area has been the subject of controversy for the past twenty or more years. The debate has centered on whether major Mesozoic geologic structures were due to compressional or extensional tectonic regimes. The goal of our research was to decipher the deformational history of the area by combining detailed geologic mapping, remote sensing data analysis, and U-Pb and K-Ar geochronology. This study area includes the Dolly Varden Mountains and adjacent Currie Hills, located in the semi-arid environment of the northeastern Great Basin in Nevada. Vegetation cover in the Dolly Varden Mountains typically ranges from about 10 percent to 50 percent, with some places along drainages and on high, north-facing slopes where vegetation cover approaches 100 percent. Sagebrush is found at less vegetated lower elevations, whereas pinon pine and juniper are prevalent above 2,000 meters. A variety of geologic materials is exposed in the study area. A sequence of Late Paleozoic and Triassic sedimentary rocks includes limestone, dolomite, chert, sandstone, siltstone and shale. A two-phase granitic stock, called the Melrose, intruded these rocks, resulting in metamorphism along the intrusive contact. Tertiary volcanic rocks cover most of the eastern part of the Dolly Varden Mountains and low-lying areas in the Currie Hills.

Zamudio, Joe↗
NASA NTRS1997

Large-Scale Impact Cratering and Early Earth Evolution

The surface of the Moon attests to the importance of large-scale impact in its early crustal evolution. Previous models of the effects of a massive bombardment on terrestrial crustal evolution have relied on analogies with the Moon, with allowances for the presence of water and a thinner lithosphere. It is now apparent that strict lunar-terrestrial analogies are incorrect because of the "differential scaling" of crater dimensions and melt volumes with event size and planetary gravity. Impact melt volumes and "ancient cavity dimensions for specific impacts were modeled according to previous procedures. In the terrestrial case, the melt volume (V(sub m)) exceeds that of the transient cavity (V(sub tc)) at diameters > or = 400 km. This condition is reached on the Moon only with transient cavity diameters > or = 3000 km, equivalent to whole Moon melting. The melt volumes in these large impact events are minimum estimates, since, at these sizes, the higher temperature of the target rocks at depth will increase melt production. Using the modification-scaling relation of Croft, a transient cavity diameter of about 400 km in the terrestrial environment corresponds to an expected final impact "basin" diameter of about 900 km. Such a "basin" would be comparable in dimensions to the lunar basin Orientale. This 900-km "basin" on the early Earth, however, would not have had the appearance of Orientale. It would have been essentially a melt pool, and, morphologically, would have had more in common with the palimpsests structures on Callisto and Ganymede. With the terrestrial equivalents to the large multiring basins of the Moon being manifested as muted palimpsest-like structures filled with impact melt, it is unlikely they played a role in establishing the freeboard on the early Earth. The composition of the massive impact melt sheets (> 10 (exp 7) cu km) produced in "basin-forming" events on the early Earth would have most likely ranged from basaltic to more mafic for the largest impacts, where the melt volume would have reached well into the mantle. Any contribution from adiabatic melting or shock heating of the asthenosphere would have had similar mafic compositions. The depth of the melt sheets is unknown but would have been in the multilkilometer range. Bodies of basaltic melt > or = 300 m thick differentiate in the terrestrial environment, with the degree of differentiation being a function of the thickness of the body. We therefore expect that these thick, closed-system melt pools would have differentiated into an ultramafic-mafic base and felsic top. If only 10% of the impact melt produced in a single event creating a 400-km diameter transient cavity evolved into felsic differentiates, they would be comparable in volume to the Columbia River basalts. It has been estimated that at least 200 impact events of this size or larger occurred on the early Earth during a period of heavy bombardment. We speculate that these massive differentiated melt sheets may have had a role in the formation of the initial felsic component of the Earth's crust. Additional information is contained in the original.

Grieve, R. A. F.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Growth of Megaspherulites In a Rhyolitic Vitrophyre

Megaspherulites occur in the middle zone of a thick sequence of rhyolitic vitrophyre that occupies a small, late Eocene to early Oligocene volcanic-tectonic basin near Silver Cliff, Custer County, Colorado. Diameters of the megaspherulites range from 0.3 m to over 3.66 m, including a clay envelope. The megaspherulites are compound spherulites. consisting of an extremely large number (3.8 x 10(exp 9) to 9.9 x 10(exp 9)) of individual growth cones averaging 3 mm long by 1.25 mm wide at their termination. They are holocrystalline, very fine- to fine-grained, composed of disordered to ordered sanidine (orthoclase) and quartz, and surrounded by a thin K-feldspar, quartz rich rind, an inner clay layer with mordenite, and an outer clay layer composed wholly of 15 A montmorillonite. Whole rock analyses of the megaspherulites show a restricted composition from their core to their outer edge, with an average analyses of 76.3% SiO2, 0.34% CaO, 2.17% Na2O, 6.92% K2O, 0.83% H2O+ compared to the rhyolitic vitrophyre from which they crystallize with 71.07% SiO2, 0.57% CaO, 4.06% Na2O,4.l0% K2O, and 6.40% H2O+. The remaining oxides of Fe2O3 (total Fe), A12O3, MnO,MgO, TiO2, P2O5, Cr2O3, and trace elements show uniform distribution between the megaspherulites and the rhyolitic vitrophyre. Megaspherulite crystallization began soon after the rhyolitic lava ceased to flow as the result of sparse heterogeneous nucleation, under nonequilibrium conditions, due to a high degree of undercooling, delta T. The crystals grow with a fibrous habit which is favored by a large delta T ranging between 245 C and 295 C, despite lowered viscosity, and enhanced diffusion due to the high H2O content, ranging between 5% and 7%. Therefore, megaspherulite growth proceeded in a diffusion controlled manner, where the diffusion, rate lags behind the crystal growth rate at the crystal-liquid interface, restricting fibril lengths and diameters to the 10 micron to 15 micron and 3 micron and 8 micron ranges respectively. Once diffusion reestablishes itself at the crystallization front, a new nucleation event occurs at the terminated tips of the fibril cones and a new cone begins to develop with a similar orientation (small angle branching) to the earlier cones. During crystallization, these fibril cones impinge upon each other, resulting in fibril cone-free areas. These cone-free areas consist of coarser, fine-grained phases, dominated by quartz, which crystallized from the melt as it accumulated between the crystallizing K-feldspar fibrils of the cones. The anhydrous nature of the disordered to ordered sanidine (orthoclase) and quartz, suggests that water in the vitrophyre moved ahead of the crystallization front, resulting in a water rich fluid being enriched in Si, K, Na, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, and Y. The clay layers associated with the megaspherulites are therefore, the result of the deuteric alteration between the fractionated water and the vitrophyre, as indicated by the presence of the minerals mordenite and montmorillonite. This silica rich fluid also resulted in the total silicification of the megaspherulites within the upper 3 m of the vitrophyre.

Smith, Robert K.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Ridge systems of Caloris - Comparison with lunar basins

It has been found that the wrinkle ridge systems of the Caloris basin on Mercury display many of the traits which are characteristic of ridges in the mare-filled lunar multiring basins. The considered investigation is concerned with the ridge systems within the Caloris basin on Mercury, and implications for the origin of ridges within basins on both Mercury and the moon. The observed features are found to indicate that the early evolution of Caloris was similar to that of lunar mascon basins. The morphology of ridges within Caloris compares favorably with lunar ridges when viewed on similar resolution earth-based lunar photographs. Ridges in Caloris occur from 1000 to 1320 km diameter range, and are situated within the boundary delineated by topographic benches in the northeastern and southeastern parts of the basin. The orientation of Caloris ridges is more dominantly concentric than ridge orientations in lunar basins.

Maxwell, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Scaling Impact-Melt and Crater Dimensions: Implications for the Lunar Cratering Record

The consequences of impact on the solid bodies of the solar system are manifest and legion. Although the visible effects on planetary surfaces, such as the Moon's, are the most obvious testimony to the spatial and temporal importance of impacts, less dramatic chemical and petrographic characteristics of materials affected by shock abound. Both the morphologic and petrologic aspects of impact cratering are important in deciphering lunar history, and, ideally, each should complement the other. In practice, however, a gap has persisted in relating large-scale cratering processes to petrologic and geochemical data obtained from lunar samples. While this is due in no small part to the fact that no Apollo mission unambiguously sampled deposits of a large crater, it can also be attributed to the general state of our knowledge of cratering phenomena, particularly those accompanying large events. The most common shock-metamorphosed lunar samples are breccias, but a substantial number are impact-melt rocks. Indeed, numerous workers have called attention to the importance of impact-melt rocks spanning a wide range of ages in the lunar sample collection. Photogeologic studies also have demonstrated the widespread occurrence of impact-melt lithologies in and around lunar craters. Thus, it is clear that impact melting has been a fundamental process operating throughout lunar history, at scales ranging from pits formed on individual regolith grains to the largest impact basins. This contribution examines the potential relationship between impact melting on the Moon and the interior morphologies of large craters and peaking basins. It then examines some of the implications of impact melting at such large scales for lunar-sample provenance and evolution of the lunar crust.

Cintala , Mark J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Assimilation of Satellite Altimeter Data With a Four Dimensional Model of the Japan Sea

A data assimilation is carried out to detect the variability of the Japan Sea circulation in the range from a few days to several years and from eddy to basin scale. The model applied in this study is the same 1/6 degree GFDL MOM1 as Kim and Yoon (1999) but is driven by ECMWF daily wind stress, heat and fresh water fluxes. The satellite altimeter data of TOPEX/POSEIDON, ERS-1 (phase C and G) and -2 are assimilated by an approximate Kalman filter (Fukumori and M.Rizzoli, 1995). The approximation is made by seeking an asymptotic steady error covariance matrix (Fukumori et al., 1993) and by introducing a coarser grid model for the innovation (data-model misfit). The coarse grid model is defined on 1/2 degree horizontal resolution and consists of the barotropic stream function, first baroclinic displacement and velocity amplitudes. The assimilated estimates explain about 6cm sea level variability of the data (approximately 12cm in the southern part), which is much larger than the previous reduced-gravity model and TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data assimilation (Hirose et al., 1999). The impacts of the T/P and ERS data on the filtered estimates are comparable. The result also shows high correlation to subsurface water temperatures measured by CTD. Many of the mesoscale eddies/disturbances travel east-northeastward with the advection speed of 1-3cm/s though most of them generated in the western region can not pass over the Oki Spur. The quasi-biennial variability found by Hirose and Ostrovskii (1999) did not show clear propagation pattern. The shallow Oki Spur may work as a "western boundary" to this signal. This is more plausible estimation than by the R-G model which has no bottom topography.

Hirose, Naoki↗
NASA NTRS2009

The Green Sahara: Climate Change, Hydrologic History and Human Occupation

Archaeology can provide insight into interactions of climate change and human activities in sensitive areas such as the Sahara, to the benefit of both disciplines. Such analyses can help set bounds on climate change projections, perhaps identify elements of tipping points, and provide constraints on models. The opportunity exists to more precisely constrain the relationship of natural solar and climate interactions, improving understanding of present and future anthropogenic forcing. We are beginning to explore the relationship of human occupation of the Sahara and long-term solar irradiance variations synergetic with changes in atmospheric-ocean circulation patterns. Archaeological and climate records for the last 12 K years are gaining adequate precision to make such comparisons possible. We employ a range of climate records taken over the globe (e.g. Antarctica, Greenland, Cariaco Basin, West African Ocean cores, records from caves) to identify the timing and spatial patterns affecting Saharan climate to compare with archaeological records. We see correlation in changing ocean temperature patterns approx. contemporaneous with drying of the Sahara approx. 6K years BP. The role of radar images and other remote sensing in this work includes providing a geographically comprehensive geomorphic overview of this key area. Such coverage is becoming available from the Japanese PALSAR radar system, which can guide field work to collect archaeological and climatic data to further constrain the climate change chronology and link to models. Our initial remote sensing efforts concentrate on the Gilf Kebir area of Egypt.

remote sensing↗
NASA NTRS2021

Joint cloud water path and rainwater path retrievals from airborne ORACLES observations

This study presents a new algorithm that combines W-band reflectivity measurements from the Airborne Precipitation Radar – third generation (APR-3) passive radiometric cloud optical depth and effective radius retrievals from the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) to estimate total liquid water path in warm clouds and identify the contributions from cloud water path (CWP) and rainwater path (RWP). The resulting CWP estimates are primarily determined by the optical depth input, although reflectivity measurements contribute ∼10 %–50 % of the uncertainty due to attenuation through the profile. Uncertainties in CWP estimates across all conditions are 25 % to 35 %, while RWP uncertainty estimates frequently exceed 100 %. Two-thirds of all radar-detected clouds observed during the ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS (ORACLES) campaign that took place from 2016–2018 over the southeast Atlantic Ocean have CWP between 41 and 168 g/sq. m and almost all CWPs (99 %) between 6 to 445 g/sq. m. RWP, by contrast, typically makes up a much smaller fraction of total liquid water path (LWP), with more than 70 % of raining clouds having less than 10 g/sq. m of rainwater. In heavier warm rain (i.e., rain rate exceeding 40 mm/h or 1000 mm/d), however, RWP is observed to exceed 2500 g/sq. m. CWP (RWP) is found to be approximately 30 g/sq. m (7 g/sq. m) larger in unstable environments compared to stable environments. Surface precipitation is also more than twice as likely in unstable environments. Comparisons against in situ cloud microphysical probe data spanning the range of thermodynamic stability and meteorological conditions encountered across the southeast Atlantic basin demonstrate that the combined APR-3 and RSP dataset enable a robust joint cloud–precipitation retrieval algorithm to support future ORACLES precipitation susceptibility and cloud–aerosol–precipitation interaction studies.

algorithm↗
NASA NTRS1980

Discharge forecasts in mountain basins based on satellite snow cover mapping

The author has identified the following significant results. A snow runoff model developed for European mountain basins was used with LANDSAT imagery and air temperature data to simulate runoff in the Rocky Mountains under conditions of large elevation range and moderate cloud cover (cloud cover of 40% or less during LANDSAT passes 70% of the time during a snowmelt season). Favorable results were obtained for basins with area not exceeding serval hundred square kilometers and with a significant component of subsurface runoff.

Martinec, J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Transport and emplacement of crater and basin deposits

Material is ejected from impact craters in ballastic trajectories; it impacts first near the crater rim and then at progressively greater ranges. Ejecta from craters smaller than approximately 1 km are laid predominantly on top of the surrounding surface. With increasing crater size, more and more surrounding surface will be penetrated by secondary cratering action, and these preexisting materials will be mixed with primary crater ejecta. Ejecta from large craters, and especially basin-forming events, not only excavate preexisting local materials, but also are capable of moving large amounts of material away from the crater. Thus mixing and lateral transport give rise to continuous deposits that contain materials from within and outside the primary crater. As a consequence, ejecta of basins and large highland craters have eroded and mixed highland materials throughout geologic time and deposited them in depressions inside and between older crater structures.

Oberbeck, V. R.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Secondary impact craters of lunar basins

Numerous lunar features are examined and identified as being secondary to basins, that is, as having been formed by secondary impact of ejecta from basins. Most of the terra features previously attributed to volcanism and tectonism and many attributed previously to primary impact must be attributed to basin-secondary impact. Secondary craters of the Imbrium Basin cover a large part of the south-central near side. Imbrium secondaries are more numerous than primaries in the size ranges 3 or 4 to 10 km on the near side, and may be more numerous at diameters of 10-25 km. Preliminary stratigraphic dating results based on superposition relations among basin secondaries suggest that the Crisium and south Serenitatis basins are younger than Nectaris and Humboldtianum.

Wilhelms, D. E.↗