Meteorite impact craters as natural "probes" and "gauges" on planetary surfaces

陨石撞击坑是行星表面的天然“探针”和“测量仪”

• 批准号: RGPIN-2014-04215
• 负责人: Tornabene, Livio
• 金额: $ 2.11万
• 依托单位: University of Western Ontario
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2014-01-01 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=566374
• 关键词: Meteorite; impact; craters; natural; probes

Impact cratering is the most ubiquitous geologic process acting on solid planetary surfaces throughout the solar system and, thereby, played a significant role in the early formation, modification and in some cases the aqueous alteration of planetary crusts. Mounting evidence supports that impact cratering has not only physically modified the rocky surfaces of Earth and Mars, but may have also played a significant role in the evolution of early life and the concentration of mineral resources via the hydrothermal activity (i.e., heat-driven circulation of fluids). Impact craters are relatively consistent in morphology making them one of the most easily recognized features on planetary surfaces. Thereby, they are also useful as “probes” and “gauges” of the target properties, and geologic processes that modify planetary surfaces, respectively. Craters excavate, uplift and expose subsurface rocks that may not otherwise be exposed by other processes, and in some cases provide the only bedrock samples of the deep subsurface. Spectral remote sensing of theses features is often employed to identify these subsurface rocks on planetary bodies. However, there are various crater-related effects within these features that need to be better understood, in order to fully understand their effects on the rocks. Pristine crater morphology and morphometry (e.g., crater depth) can be used as a standard to understand target material properties and the effects and rates of subsequent modifying geologic processes. In addition, pristine craters offer us a glimpse of the relatively unmodified primary crater deposits, providing insights into the impact cratering process itself, and potentially paleo-environments on planetary bodies with atmospheres and target volatiles (e.g., water). The long-term goals of my research program are to, 1) improve our understanding of the impact cratering process as a geologic process, and 2) learn about the geological history of upper crust and surface of Mars through remote sensing studies of its most ubiquitous landform – impact craters. This program aims to achieve these goals via three testable hypotheses, each of which are divided into four objectives involving the analysis and interpretation of orbital spectral, visible, thermophysical and elevation data sets of the Martian surface. Although the emphasis is not specifically terrestrial-based, the processing, visualization, analysis and interpretation of these data sets are similar to those utilized by exploration geology, geophysics, environmental remote sensing, and even employed for the purposes of national defense. As such, Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) involved in this research program will learn techniques that are directly applicable to these fields.

冲击壁板是作用于整个太阳系固体行星表面的最普遍的地质过程，因此在早期的形成，修饰，在某些情况下是行星绞痛的水变化起着重要作用。越来越多的证据支持影响壁板的影响不仅在物理上修改了地球和火星的岩石表面，而且还可能通过热液活性（即流体的热驱动循环）在早期生命的演变和矿物资源的浓度中发挥了重要作用。撞击火山口在形态学中相对一致，使其成为行星表面上最容易识别的特征之一。因此，它们也可作为目标特性的“探针”和“测量”，以及分别修改行星表面的地质过程。陨石坑发掘，抬高和暴露地下岩石，而其他过程可能不会暴露出来，在某些情况下，它们提供了深度地下的唯一基岩样本。这些特征的光谱遥远灵敏度通常用于识别行星体上的这些地下岩石。但是，这些特征中有各种与火山口相关的效果，需要更好地理解它们，以充分理解它们对岩石的影响。原始的火山口形态和形态计量学（例如，火山口深度）可以用作了解目标材料特性以及随后修改地质过程的效果和速率的标准。此外，原始的陨石坑为我们提供了相对未修改的原代陨石坑沉积物的瞥见，从而提供了对冲击壁孔过程本身的见解，以及对具有大气和目标挥发物（例如水）的行星体上的可能古环境。我的研究计划的长期目标是：1）通过远程敏感性研究其最普遍的地壳 - 影响calters，可以提高我们对影响壁墙过程的理解，以及2）了解火星上皮和火星表面的地质历史。该计划旨在通过三个可检验的假设实现这些目标，每个假设分为四个目标，涉及火星表面的轨道光谱，可见，热物理和高程数据集的分析和解释。尽管重点不是特别基于地面的，但是对这些数据集的处理，可视化，分析和解释与探索地质，地球物理学，环境遥感甚至为国防目的进行的探索地质，地球物理学，环境遥感甚至进行的处理相似。因此，参与该研究计划的高素质人员（HQP）将学习直接适用于这些领域的技术。