RESEARCH

CRATER & FRACTURE MAPPING
ON ENCELADUS

Enceladus is a uniquely active ocean world with giant fissures in the South Polar Terrain. However, the cratered terrains are quite active as well. Mapping the fracture distributions in this region can give us a clue about what stresses are acting on the surface.

Current Projects:

Characterizing the geological history of Enceladus' cratered terrain
Analysis of global distribution of impact craters

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Fractures are pervasive on icy bodies. 3D numerical modeling can be used to gain a deeper understanding of how fractures and other geological structures (e.g., craters) interact in the stress environment. While numerical modeling is only part of the story, it helps set boundary conditions for real observations of icy satellite surfaces

Current Projects:

Characterizing crack propagation in the shallow subsurface of icy bodies (Enceladus and Europa)

3D FRACTURE MODELING

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NEWS & MEDIA

Impact crater morphology can tell us a lot about a planet's geological history and evolution. In the case of Mercury, it has helped shed light on which terrains have been resurfaced by massive impacts during the Late Heavy Bombardment.

Current Projects:

Global geological mapping
Developing novel ways to characterize evolution of intercrater plains

CRATER DEGRADATION ON MERCURY

Stay Tuned

Understanding the regolith characteristics at high priority sites on the Moon, such as those chosen for near term in situ exploration, is key to putting future observations into context. A current priority in lunar science is characterizing permanently shadowed regions of the lunar poles in the search for water ice.

Current Projects: