RESEARCH
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.
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Current Projects:
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Global geological mapping
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Developing novel ways to characterize evolution of intercrater plains
CRATER DEGRADATION ON MERCURY
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.
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Current Projects:
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Characterizing the geological history of Enceladus' cratered terrain
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Analysis of global distribution of impact craters
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:
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Characterizing crack propagation in the shallow subsurface of icy bodies (Enceladus and Europa)
3D FRACTURE MODELING
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NEWS & MEDIA
Mercury Isn’t Alone in Orbit, and Scientists Don’t Know Why
Eos (February 2023)
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Impact Crater Degradation on Mercury
Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month (March 2020)
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Space Grant Program Paves the Way to the Stars
NC State Bulletin (2019)
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There Is An Enduring Mystery About Enceladus That You Have Never Heard Of
Forbes Magazine (2018)
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