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Full-Text Articles in Mineral Physics
Remote Exploration: Understanding Martian Surface Processes, Sarah M. Bass, Virginia C. Gulick, Natalie Glines, Patrick Freeman
Remote Exploration: Understanding Martian Surface Processes, Sarah M. Bass, Virginia C. Gulick, Natalie Glines, Patrick Freeman
STAR Program Research Presentations
Earth and Mars share many similar physical features, including canyons, valleys, craters, volcanoes, ice, and gullies. My research focuses on two distinct projects. The first concentrates on the formation of gullies, which are channel networks generally formed on mid-latitude crater walls on Mars. Debated gully-forming processes include the melting of snowpacks, sublimation of accumulated carbon dioxide frost, melting of snow-rich dusty mantle material, and groundwater flows. Using High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) images of gullies and working with Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) in ENVI, we are able to perform detailed studies of gully morphology, including volume calculations using slope, …
Electric Currents Due To Stress-Activated Positive Hole Charge Carriers In Ice, Cary T. Keller P.E., Friedemann T. Freund, Dale P. Cruikshank
Electric Currents Due To Stress-Activated Positive Hole Charge Carriers In Ice, Cary T. Keller P.E., Friedemann T. Freund, Dale P. Cruikshank
STAR Program Research Presentations
Jupiter’s satellite Europa, whose surface is composed of ice with a possible water ocean beneath, could conceivably serve as an abode for extraterrestrial life. This and other icy celestial bodies may contain organic macromolecular solid material that is produced when surface ices are exposed to ultraviolet radiation and/or electrical energy. Tidal and tectonic stresses or meteorite impacts in icy crusts may produce electrical discharges, which would provide the energy for in-situ synthesis of the organic solids. This electrical energy can be provided by positive hole charge carrier activation. Positive holes exhibit properties such as the ability to flow out of …
Raman Mapping Of Mars Relevant Minerals Using Multiple Excitation Wavelenghts, Victoria Campbell, William Abbey
Raman Mapping Of Mars Relevant Minerals Using Multiple Excitation Wavelenghts, Victoria Campbell, William Abbey
STAR Program Research Presentations
The purpose of this project is to map Mars relevant minerals using the Raman instrument Horiba LabRam Raman. The Raman spectrometer is a non-invasive sampling technique used to identify mineral composition of various compositions by measuring the “Raman Shift” of each mineral. This was accomplished by using a green (532nm) laser which acted as a monochromatic light source. This source was absorbed by the sample and reemitted. The frequency of the reemitted photons are then shifted up or down in comparison with original frequency, which is referred to as the ‘Raman Effect’. The samples with shorter wavelengths produced a stronger …
Rock Porosity Analysis Using High Resolution X-Ray Tomography, Leo Groner, Dula Parkinson, Katya Bazilevskaya
Rock Porosity Analysis Using High Resolution X-Ray Tomography, Leo Groner, Dula Parkinson, Katya Bazilevskaya
STAR Program Research Presentations
Understanding rock porosity, the fraction of rock volume that is in pores, is a key to modeling weathering and flow of water, petroleum and CO2 through geological structures. Weathering of rocks affects the CO2 cycle, nutrient cycle and soil formation. Rock porosity affects water flow rates and, in turn, affects weathering. Avizo software was used to explore, visualize and measure the reconstructed high-resolution X-ray micro-tomography data collected from scanned rocks. Many Avizo approaches were tried before arriving at an acceptable process to determine their porosity characteristics. Porosity dynamics are affected by weathering and lithification. At micron resolution, the image is …