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Articles 1 - 7 of 7
Full-Text Articles in Tectonics and Structure
Comparative Lineament And Geomorphic Analysis Of Chaotic Terrains And Noctis Labyrinthus, Mars, Sarah A. Walton
Comparative Lineament And Geomorphic Analysis Of Chaotic Terrains And Noctis Labyrinthus, Mars, Sarah A. Walton
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Noctis Labyrinthus (NL) is an extensional trough network connecting the Tharsis rise and Valles Marineris on Mars. Chaotic terrains are a group of polygonally-fractured surface features commonly associated with subsidence due to rapid fluid loss within the subsurface. Polygonal surface patterns are seen at both sites, where geometric topographic highs are bounded by low troughs. Lineaments, topography, and geomorphology of NL and chaotic terrains were analyzed to determine tectonics and fluid influence in the formation and evolution of both sites. NL shows preferential fracture patterns associated with regional extension. Lineaments within chaotic terrains do not show cumulative preferential trends but …
Morphological And Structural Characterization Of Shortening Landforms On Mars, Leta Mccullough
Morphological And Structural Characterization Of Shortening Landforms On Mars, Leta Mccullough
Theses and Dissertations
The lithosphere of Mars accommodates shortening through folding and faulting, producing landforms qualitatively categorized as wrinkle ridges or lobate scarps. However, we lack a deep understanding of the morphological differences between these landforms. This study aimed to develop a quantitative model for shortening landform classification based on surface morphology and subsurface architecture. We developed this model by mapping 100 landforms in a GIS, recording parameters for each landform. We conducted a Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) using these morphometrics. This DFA produced a predictive linear function for categorizing wrinkle ridges and lobate scarps. We then modeled the subsurface structural geology of …
Limits Of Tectonic Reactivation On Mars Using Earth Analogue Analysis And Numerical Modeling, Jonathan Rich
Limits Of Tectonic Reactivation On Mars Using Earth Analogue Analysis And Numerical Modeling, Jonathan Rich
Theses and Dissertations
Recent geodynamic modeling studies suggest that the geometry of structural landforms in the Ouachita Mountains (OM) has been influenced by the reactivation of a weak scar in the mantle-lithosphere during intracontinental orogenesis. As deformation on one-plate planets such as Mars can be considered intracontinental, and impact cratering deeply scarred the Martian lithosphere, we hypothesize that structural geometries on Mars may also reflect heterogenous networks of lithospheric scarring. To investigate this hypothesis, we model the pre-erosional fold structure of the Maumelle Chaotic Zone in the OM to compare fault and fold geometries with that of the seismically-imaged mantle-lithosphere scar. We then …
Correlations Between The Rotations And Magnetospheres Of The Terrestrial Planets And The Sun's Formation In Our Solar System, Fred J. Cadieu
Correlations Between The Rotations And Magnetospheres Of The Terrestrial Planets And The Sun's Formation In Our Solar System, Fred J. Cadieu
Publications and Research
Correlations between the rotations of the terrestrial planets in our solar system and the magnetic field of the Sun have been previously noted. These correlations account for the opposite rotation of Venus as a result of the magnetic field of the Sun being dragged across the conducting core of Venus. Currently the Sun’s magnetic field is not sufficiently strong to account for the proposed correlations. But recently meteorite paleomagnetism measurements have indicated that during the Sun’s formation the magnetic field of the Sun was of sufficient strength to have resulted in the observed correlations. As a part of these correlations …
A Consistent Model Of Terrestrial Planet Magnetospheres And Rotations In Our Solar System, Fred J. Cadieu
A Consistent Model Of Terrestrial Planet Magnetospheres And Rotations In Our Solar System, Fred J. Cadieu
Publications and Research
The Sun comprises 99.9% of the solar system mass so it is expected that Sun terrestrial planet interactions can influence the motion as well as the rotation of the terrestrial planets.Gravity affects the planet orbital motions while the changing magnetic fields of the Sun can influence the planet rotations. Planets that manifest a magnetic field dominate any weaker magnetic fields from the Sun, but the rotation of terrestrial planets without a magnetic field interacts with the changing Sun’s field dependent on the electrical conductivity of the core region. It is determined that the average planet density becomes a useful quantity …
Discipline-Based Planetary Education Research And Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis Of Mars, Filis Coba
Discipline-Based Planetary Education Research And Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis Of Mars, Filis Coba
Physics Theses & Dissertations
This thesis originates from the testing and implementation of an IRB-approved interactive animation designed to help students understand what causes The Reasons For The Seasons (RFTS) on Earth. Results from the testing indicated a small improvement in student understanding after exposure to the animation. Next, using the 3-D mapping tool Google Earth, students explored seasons and other planetary features on Mercury, Venus, the Moon and Mars through IRB-approved interactive tours which were developed and tested for astronomy education. Results from the tests indicated that there were statistically significant learning gains (p-value < 0.05) after students interacted with the tours compared to those who did not. The development of the tours inspired a geophysics study of the possibility of former plate motion (or plate tectonics) on Mars. A 2-D finite element convection model for the mantle of Mars was designed and solved using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.1, to investigate whether or not thermal gradients in a Mars-sized planet could cause vigorous upper mantle convection, consistent with plate tectonic processes. Results from this project indicated that stable convection could occur in the interior of a Mars-like planet assuming the presence of sufficiently high thermal gradients at about 0.8 times the mantle temperature of Earth. The convective patterns resembled hot upwelling and cool downwelling which may be similar to subduction-like features. Furthermore, increasing the temperature of the hot boundaries resulted in faster, more rigorous convective motions and a hotter average temperature.
Lineament Analysis And Tectonic Interpretation For The Central Tharsis Region, Mars, Robert C. Anderson
Lineament Analysis And Tectonic Interpretation For The Central Tharsis Region, Mars, Robert C. Anderson
OES Theses and Dissertations
Lineament studies conducted for the Central Tharsis Region of Mars (JOON and JOOS latitude; 450w to 157.50W longitude) indicate two major events controlled the formation of the Tharsis Dome: 1) a pre-Tharsis fracture system consisting of North-West (3150) trending fractures; and 2) a Tharsian fracture system containing North-South (355°) and East-West (275°) trending fractures. The North-West (3150) trending fractures represent a crustal weakness zone which controlled the early formation of the Tharsis Dome. Analytical studies suggest four centers of uplift: 1) 6°N, 124°W; 2) 0.5°N, 114°W; 3) 5°S, 105°W; and 4) 7°S, 104°W. Each of these uplifting centers is associated …