Study of Planetary Surfaces

Spring 2003

FRAMEWORK OF SURFACES STUDY

State / Processes / History
Weathering on Planetary Surfaces
- Physical weathering ubiquitous
- Importance of warm, liquid water for chemical weathering
Weathering Transport Erosion Deposition
- Balance between competing processes
Constructive vs. Destructive Processes
- Ex, micro impact erosion smoothing vs. macro impact creating topography
Planetary Surface Cycle, Importance of plate tectonics and weathering

EXOGENIC vs. ENDOGENIC PROCESSES

Vacuum process
Impact at all scales
Gravity and collapse processes
Wind, water, and ice
Volcanism; basaltic, silicic; ice; effects of water, high sulfur.
Tectonics ; compression, extension, shear

MEANS OF SURFACE STUDY

Reflection of Sunlight , Radar, Imaging
Reradiation of absorbed sunlight as emitted thermal radiation, eg TES
Remote sensing of X, gamma and neutron radiation, eg, Lunar Prospector
Direct sampling by landed instruments
Returned samples, eg Apollo, Luna missions
Active laser sounding, eg MOLA

- Bruce Murray -

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