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U.S. Geological Survey Rocky Mountain Region 2022 science exchange, showcasing interdisciplinary and state-of-the-art USGS science

IntroductionThe Rocky Mountains and the Colorado River Basin in the Western United States represent complex, interconnected systems that sustain a number of species, including tens of millions of humans. These systems face several challenges, including worsening drought, altered wildfire regimes, climate change, and the spread of invasive species. These factors can exacerbate one another, further
Authors
Dana E. Peterson, Katherine L. French, Jeannette H. Oden, Patrick J. Anderson, Timothy N. Titus, Katharine G. Dahm, Jessica M. Driscoll, William J. Andrews

The nitty-gritty forces that shape planetary surfaces

No abstract available.
Authors
Brian Jackson, Serina Diniega, Timothy N. Titus, Alejandro Soto, Edgard Rivera-Valentin

The role of giant impacts in planet formation

Planets are expected to conclude their growth through a series of giant impacts: energetic, global events that significantly alter planetary composition and evolution. Computer models and theory have elucidated the diverse outcomes of giant impacts in detail, improving our ability to interpret collision conditions from observations of their remnants. However, many open questions remain, as even th
Authors
Travis S. J. Gabriel, Saverio Cambioni

The composition of Io

Io is unlike any other body in the Solar System making questions about its chemical composition especially interesting and challenging. This chapter examines the many different, but frustratingly indirect, constraints we have on the bulk composition of this restless moon. A detailed consideration of Io’s lavas is used to illustrate how decades of research have bounded, but not pinned down, the che
Authors
Laszlo P. Kestay, Terry-Ann Suer

Assessment of lunar resource exploration in 2022

The idea of mining the Moon, once purely science-fiction, is now on the verge of becoming reality. Taking advantage of the resources on the Moon is part of the plans of many nations and some enterprising commercial entities; demonstrating in-situ (in place) resource utilization near the lunar south pole is an explicit goal of the United States’ Artemis program. Economic extraction and sustainable
Authors
Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Joshua A. Coyan, Kristen A. Bennett, Lillian R. Ostrach, Lisa R. Gaddis, Travis S. J. Gabriel, Justin Hagerty

Constraints on the composition and thermal structure of Ariel’s icy crust as inferred from its largest observed impact crater

The large graben-like troughs and smooth plains visible on the surface of Ariel are indicative of a period of high heat flow in the Uranian moon's past. High heat flows on icy moons like Ariel can also enable viscous flow that removes impact crater topography, a process called viscous relaxation. Here we use numerical modeling to investigate the conditions necessary to viscously relax Ariel's larg
Authors
Michael T. Bland, Chloe B. Beddingfield, Tom A. Nordheim, Donald A. Patthoff, Steven D. Vance

Asteroid impacts and cascading hazards

The initial effects from an asteroid impact are generally well characterized and include thermal radiation and blast waves. If the impactor is sufficiently large, either an earthquake or tsunami can also result, depending on whether the impact occurs over land or water. However, the longer-term effects that extend beyond the area initially affected are less well characterized. Because regional ef
Authors
Timothy N. Titus, D. G. Robertson, Joel B. Sankey, Larry G. Mastin

National preparedness strategy & action plan for potentially hazardous near-Earth objects and planetary defense

Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) are asteroids and comets that orbit the Sun, but have orbits that can bring them into Earth’s neighborhood—within 30 million miles of Earth’s orbit. Planetary defense is “applied planetary science” to address the NEO impact risks on Earth. This National Preparedness Strategy and Action Plan for Near-Earth Objects and Planetary Defense (2023 Planetary Defense Strategy) upd
Authors
Matthew Daniels, Lindley Johnson, Renata Kommel, Patrick Besha, Perry Brody, Kevin Conole, Kelly Fast, Angelo Fernandez, Ralph Gaume, Kevin Greenaugh, Ryan Guglietta, Diane Howard, Grace Hu, Christine Joseph, Brig Gen Traci Keuker-Murphy, L.A. Lewis, Lindsay Millard, Joel Mozer, Dianne Poster, Timothy N. Titus, Ashley Vanderley

User’s Guide to planetary image analysis and geologic mapping in ArcGIS Pro

Geologic maps are valuable tools in planetary science. Though planetary geologic maps are similar to terrestrial (Earthbased) geologic maps, the nature of planetary exploration introduces unique challenges for geologic mappers. Terrestrial geologic mappers prepare products from field-based observation, often comparing or refining those with aerial and (or) orbital images. Planetary geologic mappin
Authors
Sarah R. Black

An examination of soil crusts on the floor of Jezero crater, Mars

Martian soils are critically important for understanding the history of Mars, past potentially habitable environments, returned samples, and future human exploration. This paper examines soil crusts on the floor of Jezero crater encountered during initial phases of the Mars 2020 mission. Soil surface crusts have been observed on Mars at other locations, starting with the two Viking Lander missions
Authors
E. M. Hausrath, C. T. Adcock, A. Bechtold, P. S. A. Beck, K. Benison, A. Brown, E. L. Cardarelli, N. A. Carman, B. Chide, J. Christian, B. C. Clark, E. Cloutis, A. Cousin, O. Forni, Travis S. J. Gabriel, O. Gasnault, M. P. Golombek, F. Gomez, M. H. Hecht, T. L. J. Henley, J. Huidobro, J. C. Johnson, M. W. M. Jones, P. B. Kelemen, A. Knight, J. A. Lasue, S. Le Mouelic, J. M. Madariaga, J. N. Maki, L. Mandon, G. Martinez, J. Martinez-Frias, T. H. McConnochie, P. -Y. Meslin, M. -P. Zorzano, H. Newsom, G. Paar, N. Randazzo, C. Royer, S. Siljestroem, M. E. Schmidt, S. Schroeder, M. A. Sephton, R. Sullivan, N. Turenne, A. Udry, S. VanBommel, A. Vaughan, R. C. Wiens, N. Williams

A review of common natural disasters as analogs for asteroid impact effects and cascading hazards

Modern civilization has no collective experience with possible wide-ranging effects from a medium-sized asteroid impactor. Currently, modeling efforts that predict initial effects from a meteor impact or airburst provide needed information for initial preparation and evacuation plans, but longer-term cascading hazards are not typically considered. However, more common natural disasters, such as vo
Authors
Timothy N. Titus, D. G. Robertson, Joel B. Sankey, Larry G. Mastin, Francis K. Rengers

Regolith of the crater floor units, Jezero crater, Mars: Textures, composition and implications for provenance

A multi-instrument study of the regolith of Jezero crater floor units by the Perseverance rover has identified three types of regolith: fine-grained, coarse-grained, and mixed-type. Mastcam-Z, WATSON, and SuperCam RMI were used to characterize regolith texture, particle size, and roundedness where possible. Mastcam-Z multispectral and SuperCam LIBS data were used to constrain the composition of th
Authors
Alicia Vaughan, Michelle E. Minitti, Emily L. Cardarelli, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Linda C. Kah, Paolo Pilleri, Mellisa S. Rice, Mark Sephton, Briony H. N. Horgan, Roger C. Wiens, R. Aileen Yingst, Maria-Paz Zorzano Mier, Ryan Anderson, James F. III Bell, Adrian J. Brown, Edward A. Cloutis, Agnes Cousin, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, Elisabeth M. Housrath, Alexander G. Hayes, Kjartan M. Kinch, Marco Merusi, Chase C. Million, Robert Sullivan, Sandra M. Siljestrom, Michael St. Clair