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At least 343 records · Page 19
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NASA NTRS1992

The American Geophysical Union Chapman Conference on Tectonics and Topography

The Chapman Conference on Tectonics and Topography was held 31 Aug. - 4 Sep. 1992. The conference was designed to bring together disparate groups of earth scientists who increasingly found themselves working on similar problems but in relative isolation. Thus, process geomorphologists found themselves face-to-face with numerical modelers and field geomorphologists, hydrologists encountered geologists, and tectonophysicists found people with related data. The keynote speakers represented a wide variety of disciplines, all of which were relevant to the interdisciplinary theme of the conference. One of the most surprising issues that surfaced was the relative dearth of data that exists about erosion--process and rates. This was exacerbated by a reminder that erosion is critical to the evaluation of surface uplift.

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NASA NTRS1985

The evolution of impact basins - Cooling, subsidence, and thermal stress

The present study is concerned with an assessment of the contribution of thermal contraction and thermal stress to the topography and tectonics of large lunar impact basins. Exploratory models are developed, giving attention to the temperature structure following basin formation, the subsequent cooling of the basin region, and the resulting thermal displacements and stresses as functions of time. The subsidence and stress at the surface are compared with topography and tectonic features in the comparatively well-preserved Orientale basin. The results of the comparison are used as a basis to derive approximate constraints on the quantity and distribution of heat implanted during the basin-formation process.

Bratt, S. R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The search for crustal resources - MAGSAT and beyond

In the decade since global satellite magnetic field data have been available from MAGSAT, notable progress has been made in processing these data for purposes of mapping crustal anomalies. Several regional magnetic anomaly maps compiled using these new techniques (e.g. Kursk region, U.S.S.R.; central Africa; Kiruna, Sweden; and the U.S.A. midcontinent) provide insight into the nature and tectonic evolution of the crust that contribute to conceptual crustal models useful in regional resource exploration. A recent mail survey of geopotential-field specialists involved in resource exploration indicates interest in MAGSAT data and future satellite missions with improved resolution. It is apparent that magnetic anomalies derived from satellite observations can aid in the search for crustal resources.

Taylor, P. T.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Benefits to the study of oceanic tectonics expected from Seasat-A

A more detailed gravity field such as provided by the SEASAT-A altimeter would help resolve several problems of marine geology, such as the relationship of spreading rises to convective upstreams and the tectonics of subduction zones and the associated marginal basins. In addition, the gravity field should be measured in more detail over continental shelves accessible to mineral exploration. A secondary contribution of SEASAT-A would be to sedimentation processes, through its influence on models of ocean currents.

Kaula, W. M.↗
NASA NTRS1988

NASA MEVTV Program Working Group Meeting: Volcanism on Mars

The purpose of this working group meeting is to focus predominantly on volcanism on Mars, prior to considering the more complex issues of interactions between volcanism and tectonism or between volcanism and global or regional volatile evolution. It is also hoped that the topical areas of research identified will aid the planetary geology community in understanding volcanism on Mars and its relationship to other physical processes.

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NASA NTRS1988

Shocked quartz and more: Impact signatures in K-T boundary clays and claystones

Quartz grains displaying multiple sets of planar features are described from numerous Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary clays and claystones at both marine and nonmarine depositional sites around the world. All these sites also show anomalously high amounts of iridium and enrichments of other siderophile elements in cosmic ratios within these boundary units. This combination of mineralogical and geochemical features are used in support of an impact hypothesis for the end-Cretaceous event. Recently, it was suggested that some combination of explosive and nonexplosive volcanism associated with the formation of the Deccan traps in India could be responsible for the mineralogy and geochemistry seen in the K-T boundary units. Besides the obvious contradition of simultaneous explosive and nonexplosive volcanism from one locality during an instant of geologic time, there remains the difficulty of spreading both iridium (and trace elements in cosmic proportions) and quartz grains around the world by volcanic (atmospheric) transport. In addition, the ability of volcanism to produce the type of shock metamorphism seen in minerals at the K-T boundary was not demonstrated. Multiple sets of shock lamellae in quartz are considered characteristic of shock metamorphism in rocks at the sites of known impact craters and are the type of deformation seen in quartz from K-T boundary clays and claystones. Single sets of poorly defined lamellae described from rare quartz grains in certain volcanic deposits are characteristic of tectonic deformation and do not correspond to the shock lamellae in quartz from K-T sediments and impact structures. So-called shock mosaicism in quartz and feldspar grains described from volcanic deposits can result from many processes other than shock metamorphism, and therefore is not considered to be an effect characteristic solely of shock. The mineralogy of shock-metamorphosed grains at the K-T boundary also argues against a volcanic origin.

Bohor, Bruce F.↗
NASA NTRS1991

An introduction to the global positioning system and some geological applications

The fundamental principles of the global positioning system (GPS) are reviewed, with consideration given to geological and geophysical applications and related accuracy requirements. Recent improvements are emphasized which relate to areas such as equipment cost, limitations in the GPS satellite constellation, data analysis, uncertainties in satellite orbits and propagation delays, and problems in resolving carrier phase cycle ambiguities. Earthquake processes and near-fault crustal deformation monitoring have been facilitated by advances in GPS data acquisition and analysis. Horizontal positioning capability has been improved by new satellite constellation, better models, and global tracking networks. New classes of tectonic problems may now be studied through GPS, such as kinematic descriptions of crustal deformation and the measurement of relative plate motion at convergent boundaries. Continued improvements in the GPS are foreseen.

Dixon, T. H.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Imaging Science Requirements for a Uranus Flagship Mission

Introduction: Our presentation will summarize the requirements for UV/Visible/Near-IR remote-sensing imaging science instruments (including mapping spectrometers) envisioned for the Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP) mission recommended by the recent planetary decadal survey. The Uranus system offers many targets for imaging investigations. Imaging science investigations are crucial to answering fundamental questions about various physical processes that shape the Uranian system and drive its evolution. Each science objective addressed through imaging has requirements for observation and illumination geometries as well as coverage and resolution in the spatial, spectral and temporal dimensions. By combining the requirements for the diverse science targets in the Uranian system, we present a set of overarching imaging science requirements for UOP. Atmospheric Science: The study of Uranus’ atmosphere is crucial in understanding the planet's energy balance and interior heat flux. Imaging observations map how the atmosphere scatters incident solar radiation. Imaging is key to characterizing planetary-scale energy/material transport though global atmospheric dynamics and local meteorology. Hyperspectral mapping combined with radiative transfer analysis reveals the vertical distribution of clouds and hazes. Chronicling temporal variabilities of atmospheric features is key to understanding the various processes that operate within the dynamic Uranian atmosphere. A comprehensive understanding of Uranus' atmosphere is essential in deciphering the planet's origins and evolution as well as providing insight into the broader field of planetary and exoplanetary science. Magnetospheric Interactions: Imaging science is critical to understand the elusive Uranian aurorae. Mapping the aurorae and their temporal dynamics will reveal the interaction of Uranus’ complex magnetosphere with the solar wind. The apparent decades-long cooling of Uranus’ upper atmosphere is thought to be due to changes in energy input from the overlying magnetosphere, and so mapping and quantifying the auroral evidence for this energy flux is particularly relevant for upper atmospheric science In addition, Uranus’ large moons may generate auroral footprints, which can be used to constrain the planet’s unusual magnetic field structure. Satellite Interiors: Imaging science can address the potential habitability of the larger moons of Uranus by measuring their shapes and rotational states (including librations), which combined with gravity data are crucial to understanding their internal density structure. Satellite Origins: Origin markers such as organics and volatiles may be preserved on the satellite surfaces, which may be sensed by UV/IR mapping. Imaging combined with the moons’ densities may reveal whether the moons formed in Uranus’ circumplanetary disk, rings, or from ejecta of a giant impact on Uranus. Satellite Geology: Imaging investigations, including stereo imaging to obtain topography, will enable constraining each satellite’s geologic history by investigating the distributions and morphologies of impact craters, tectonic and potential cryovolcanic features, and regolith and mass wasting deposits. These records will help unravel the past complex history of orbital resonances that occurred between Uranian satellites, which may have driven geologic activity. Analyses of these features will also point to resurfacing styles and modification processes important for understanding each moon’s thermal evolution, and any present-day geological activity, including potential subsurface deep oceans or possible current activity. Additionally, hyperspectral imaging will enable mapping the surface composition and identifying the potential presence of material that may point to a subsurface ocean, such as ammonia-bearing species. Rings and Small Moons: Imaging observations elucidate the physical processes that contribute to the complex ring-moon system’s inferred unstable state. Imaging surveys will seek smaller moons and other debris that could provide evidence of past collisions, while precise astrometric data of moons will determine the current dynamical state of the system. Many of Uranus' rings are exceptionally narrow, and images of the rings covering a broad range of longitudes, and high-resolution images of features within the rings will reveal how these rings are confined and maintained, as well as illustrating the rings' internal structure and dynamics. Images of the rings and moons obtained at a variety of wavelengths and lighting conditions are also needed to quantify the composition and the size distribution of the small satellites and ring particles.

K M Sayanagi↗
NASA NTRS1999

Petrology and Geochemistry of a Mg- and Al-Rich Orthopyroxenite Xenolith in the EETA79001 Shergottite: Implications for Mars Crustal Evolution

EETA79001 is a Mars meteorite (SNC) consisting of multiple rock types, including two basalt types, olivine and pyroxene xenocrysts, and ultramafic xenoliths. This study is focused on the petrology and geochemistry of one orthopyroxenite xenolith in PTS 68, designated X-1. It consists of chemically homogeneous orthopyroxene cores with exceptionally high Mg/Fe (mg#=85) and Al. Cores are permeated by minute high-Si+Al glassy inclusions, some with augite microlites. Magnesian core areas are mantled by more Fe-rich orthopyroxene rims grading to pigeonite away from cores. The xenolith is transected by cross-cutting shear planes, some of pre-incorporation origin. Major and minor element composition and variation suggest that core areas are primarily igneous, crystallized from a high temperature mafic melt. However, nearly constant mg# across cores suggest metamorphic equilibration. Si+Al inclusions may result from, among other processes, exsolution of feldspathic material during subsolidus cooling, or may be solid materials (alkali feldspar) poikilitically enclosed by growing igneous orthopyroxene crystals. Late reaction with more fractionated melts produced Fe-rich mantles, the whole assemblage later cut by tectonic micro-shear planes. Raw electron microprobe data produced during this study are available on request from the author.

Berkley, John L.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Impact, and its implications for geology

The publication of seminal texts on geology and on meteoritics in the 1790s, laid the groundwork for the emergence of each discipline as a modern branch of science. Within the past three decades, impact cratering has become universally accepted as a process that sculptures the surfaces of planets and satellites throughout the solar system. Nevertheless, one finds in-depth discussions of impact processes mainly in books on the Moon or in surveys of the Solar System. The historical source of the separation between meteoritics and geology is easy to identify. It began with Hutton. Meteorite impact is an extraordinary event acting instantaneously from outside the Earth. It violates Hutton's principles, which were enlarged upon and firmly established as fundamental to the geological sciences by Lyell. The split between meteoritics and geology surely would have healed as early as 1892 if the investigations conducted by Gilbert (1843-1918) at the crater in northern Arizona had yielded convincing evidence of meteorite impact. The 1950s and 1960s saw a burgeoning of interest in impact processes. The same period witnessed the so-called revolution in the Earth Sciences, when geologists yielded up the idea of fixed continents and began to view the Earth's lithosphere as a dynamic array of horizontally moving plates. Plate tectonics, however, is fully consistent with the geological concepts inherited from Hutton: the plates slowly split, slide, and suture, driven by forces intrinsic to the globe.

Marvin, Ursula B.↗
NASA NTRS1991

LAGEOS geodetic analysis-SL7.1

Laser ranging measurements to the LAGEOS satellite from 1976 through 1989 are related via geodetic and orbital theories to a variety of geodetic and geodynamic parameters. The SL7.1 analyses are explained of this data set including the estimation process for geodetic parameters such as Earth's gravitational constant (GM), those describing the Earth's elasticity properties (Love numbers), and the temporally varying geodetic parameters such as Earth's orientation (polar motion and Delta UT1) and tracking site horizontal tectonic motions. Descriptions of the reference systems, tectonic models, and adopted geodetic constants are provided; these are the framework within which the SL7.1 solution takes place. Estimates of temporal variations in non-conservative force parameters are included in these SL7.1 analyses as well as parameters describing the orbital states at monthly epochs. This information is useful in further refining models used to describe close-Earth satellite behavior. Estimates of intersite motions and individual tracking site motions computed through the network adjustment scheme are given. Tabulations of tracking site eccentricities, data summaries, estimated monthly orbital and force model parameters, polar motion, Earth rotation, and tracking station coordinate results are also provided.

Smith, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Lithosphere-Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling (LAIC) Model - An Unified Concept for Earthquake Precursors Validation

The paper presents a conception of complex multidisciplinary approach to the problem of clarification the nature of short-term earthquake precursors observed in atmosphere, atmospheric electricity and in ionosphere and magnetosphere. Our approach is based on the most fundamental principles of tectonics giving understanding that earthquake is an ultimate result of relative movement of tectonic plates and blocks of different sizes. Different kind of gases: methane, helium, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide leaking from the crust can serve as carrier gases for radon including underwater seismically active faults. Radon action on atmospheric gases is similar to the cosmic rays effects in upper layers of atmosphere: it is the air ionization and formation by ions the nucleus of water condensation. Condensation of water vapor is accompanied by the latent heat exhalation is the main cause for observing atmospheric thermal anomalies. Formation of large ion clusters changes the conductivity of boundary layer of atmosphere and parameters of the global electric circuit over the active tectonic faults. Variations of atmospheric electricity are the main source of ionospheric anomalies over seismically active areas. Lithosphere-Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling (LAIC) model can explain most of these events as a synergy between different ground surface, atmosphere and ionosphere processes and anomalous variations which are usually named as short-term earthquake precursors. A newly developed approach of Interdisciplinary Space-Terrestrial Framework (ISTF) can provide also a verification of these precursory processes in seismically active regions. The main outcome of this paper is the unified concept for systematic validation of different types of earthquake precursors united by physical basis in one common theory.

Pulinets, S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Coronae of Mnemosyne Regio - Morphology and origin

The Mnemosine Regio area of Venus contains seven of the circular-to-elliptical structures, characterized by an annulus of concentric ridges, that are known as 'coronae'. Several corona-origin models are presently considered, and it is found that the processes associated with diapirism or hot-spots, and the gravitational relaxation of high topography, are most consistent with the topography and morphology of these coronae. The sequence of the formation and evolution of the coronae proceeds from regional volcanic and tectonic activity, through localized uplift and volcanism, to annulus and trough formation related to gravitational relaxation, and finally local volcanic flooding of the corona, annulus, and trough.

Stofan, Ellen R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Impact processes and their implications for planetary formation and early evolution

Small impact craters dominate the geomorphology of small planetary bodies. Even Mars has extensive impact-dominated landscapes. The regoliths of the Moon and asteroids are created and maintained by impacts. It is now widely recognized that large impacts (craters 100-1000 km in diameter) are one of the major tectonic elements in the lithospheres of bodies like the Moon, Mercury, Mars and Callisto. The multiring basins these large impacts produce sometimes extend over an entire hemisphere. Such basins may have also affected tectonics during the Earth's hadean era. Although it has long been appreciated that low velocity collisions played a major role in the accretion of planetesimals into planets, recent work indicates a far more profound role for impacts. Studies of the interaction of planetary atmospheres with large impacts, begun in an effort to define the climatological effects of the K-T impactor, suggest that impacts may remove a significant fraction of a planet's atmosphere. Such removal now offers hope of explaining the puzzling systematics of the heavy noble gases in the atmospheres of the Earth, Venus, and Mars.

Melosh, H. J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Plate motions and deformations from geologic and geodetic data

The very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) measurements made in the western U.S. since 1979 provide discrete samples of the temporal and spatial deformation field. The interpretation of the VLBI derived rates of deformation requires an examination of geologic information and more densely sampled ground based geodetic data. Triangulation and trilateration data measured on two regional networks, one in the central Mojave Desert and one in the Coast Ranges east of the San Andreas fault, were processed. At the spatial scales spanned by these local geodetic networks, auxiliary geologic and geophysical data were utilized to examine the relation between measured incremental strain and the accommodation of strain seen in local geologic structures, strain release in earthquakes, and principal stress directions inferred from in situ measurements. VLBI data was also processed from stations distributed across the Pacific-North America plate boundary zone in the western U.S. The VLBI data were used to constrain the integrated rate of deformation across portions of the continental plate boundary in California and to provide a tectonic framework to interpret regional geodetic and geologic studies.

Jordan, Thomas H.↗
NASA NTRS1994

The transition from diapirism to dike intrusion: Implications for planetary volcanism

Magma transport processes influence the rate of magma transport and how far the magma travels before it freezes, the degree to which the magma communicates chemically with the host rock, the morphology of volcanic landforms on planetary surfaces, the interplay between magmatism and regional tectonics, and even the direction the magma moves. The primary question motivating this research is: How does magma rheology influence the mechanisms by which it is transported through planetary lithospheres? It is widely recognized that on Earth basaltic intrusions typically take the form of narrow dikes, while granites are typically found in more equidimensional plutons. Several explanations for this observation were offered over the last 50 years. While basalts and rhyolites vary somewhat in temperature and density, the major difference is the 2 to 8 orders of magnitude contrast in viscosity. The significant ductile strains associated with many granitic plutons has led to the statement that the occurrence of granites in diapirs rather than dikes results from the fact that there is insufficient viscosity contrast between the magma and wall rock for the granite to intrude narrow cracks. A second explanation states that granites are so viscous that they cannot propagate far before freezing. Despite the length of time these explanations have been around, there has been relatively little effort to investigate them quantitatively. My goal has been to evaluate these explanations through a series of well-posed numerical models. These models can be tested by the decades of field data collected by structural geologists that have yet to be integrated into any coherent theory, and the results should have important implications for volcanism on the terrestrial planets.

Rubin, Allan M.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Recent Results from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission and Plans for the Extended Science Phase

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft (LRO), launched on June 18, 2009, began with the goal of seeking safe landing sites for future robotic missions or the return of humans to the Moon as part of NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD). In addition, LRO's objectives included the search for surface resources and to investigate the Lunar radiation environment. After spacecraft commissioning, the ESMD phase of the mission began on September 15, 2009 and completed on September 15, 2010 when operational responsibility for LRO was transferred to NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD). The SMD mission was scheduled for 2 years and completed in September, 2012. The LRO mission has been extended for two years under SMD. The extended mission focuses on a new set of goals related to understanding the geologic history of the Moon, its current state, and what it can tell us about the evolution Of the Solar System. Here we will review the major results from the LRO mission for both exploration and science and discuss plans and objectives going forward including plans for the extended science phase out to 2014. Results from the LRO mission include but are not limited to the development of comprehensive high resolution maps and digital terrain models of the lunar surface; discoveries on the nature of hydrogen distribution, and by extension water, at the lunar poles; measurement of the day and night time temperature of the lunar surface including temperature down below 30 K in permanently shadowed regions (PSRs); direct measurement of Hg, H2, and CO deposits in the PSRs, evidence for recent tectonic activity on the Moon, and high resolution maps of the illumination conditions as the poles. The objectives for the second and extended science phases of the mission under SMD include: 1) understanding the bombardment history of the Moon, 2) interpreting Lunar geologic processes, 3) mapping the global Lunar regolith, 4) identifying volatiles on the Moon, and 5) measuring the Lunar atmosphere and radiation environment.

Vondrak, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1977

Mariner 10 data analysis. 1: Scarps, ridges, troughs, and other lineaments on Mercury. 2: Geologic significance of photometric variations on Mercury

Volcanic and tectonic implications of the surface morphology of Mercury are discussed. Mercurian scarps, ridges, troughs, and other lineaments are described and classified as planimetrically linear, arcuate, lobate, or irregular. A global pattern of lineaments is interpreted to reflect modification of linear crustal joints formed in response to stresses induced by tidal spindown. Large arcuate scarps on Mercury most likely record a period of compressional tectonism near the end of heavy bombardment. Shrinkage owing to planetary cooling is the mechanism preferred for their production. Measurements of local normal albedo are combined with computer-generated photometric maps of Mercury to provide constraints on the nature of surface materials and processes. If the mercurian surface obeys the average lunar photometric function, its normal albedo at 554 nm is .16 + or - .03.

Dzurisin, D.↗