Publications

On Earth and Mars, aeolian transport causes sand grains to become abraded, resulting in mineralogic and textural changes. Understanding how sands evolve, or mature, with transport via experimental studies is important for understanding the origins, geologic history, and cycling of sediments, as well as dust production. Previous experimental works have used a variety of methods to...

Mercury hosts widespread smooth plains that are concentrated in the Caloris impact basin, in an annulus surrounding the Caloris basin, and in the adjacent northern smooth plains. The origins of these smooth plains are uncertain, although prior work suggests these plains in the northwestern Caloris annulus might reflect volcanic activity, impact ejecta, or a combination of the two...

Based on observation and data from meteorites and in situ scientific missions, experiments as well as models, the Martian mantle is assumed to share some compositional and mineralogical affinity with the terrestrial mantle. However, there might be subtle differences like the Martian mantle being more ferroan. Yet, we do not have any direct analysis of a Martian mantle rock to confirm...

Assessing the potential for geothermal energy and liquid water presence in the Martian subsurface is crucial for future exploration and habitability studies. In this work, we employed comprehensive finite element model simulations adapted specifically for Martian conditions to estimate subsurface temperatures and the potential for liquid water at depth within Martian crater basins. Rock...

Dry permafrost underlain by ice-cemented permafrost has been reported in several locations in Antarctica. Initially thought to be relic ice, it is now understood that this subsurface ice is in equilibrium with the surface conditions, although it is not in equilibrium with the atmosphere. We use year-round data from University Valley in the Dry Valleys and Elephant Head in the Ellsworth...

Rare earth elements (REEs) are a scarce but vital resource for our modern economies and lifestyles. Since the late 1990s, China has supplied the vast majority of the world’s refined REEs. Increasing global demand has broadened the search for REE deposits to unconventional places, including the Moon. Although most lunar rocks have very low REE concentrations, Apollo samples showed that...

On the 24th of December, 2021, a meteoroid struck the martian surface, producing a 150-m wide crater and excavating the lowest-latitude water ice observed on Mars to date. Knowledge of the preimpact depth, thickness and lateral continuity of the excavated ice would provide new insight into past environmental changes such as temperature and humidity of the atmosphere. In this work, we use...

This report is a user guide for the 0.1.2 release of the Python Hyperspectral Analysis Tool (PyHAT) and its graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI is intended to provide an intuitive front end to allow users to apply sophisticated preprocessing and analysis methods to spectroscopic data. Though the PyHAT package has been developed with a particular focus on laser-induced breakdown...

The lunar surface is a compelling opportunity for large, distributed optical facilities, with significant advantages over orbital facilities for high spatial resolution astrophysics. Serious development of mission concepts is timely because of the confluence of multiple compelling factors. First, lunar access technology is maturing rapidly, in the form of both US uncrewed and crewed...

The Imbrium basin is one of the largest and youngest impact basins on the Moon. It has experienced multiple phases of volcanism that filled the basin with basaltic lavas, obscuring most evidence of geologic activity prior to the emplacement of mare basalts. Elevated basin ring massifs, however, can retain some of that history due to their higher topographic elevation compared to the...

Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are increasingly attracting attention globally due to their pivotal role in enhancing the performance of various hightech devices. Small amounts of these elements greatly improve the performance of materials, making magnets stronger, lenses clearer, lights brighter, batteries last longer, etc. Here we examine the notion that REEs from the Moon might compete...

We report on six Findings related to the benefit of Artemis Base Camp (ABC) to lunar geoscience (Figure 1). These Findings are on the topics of 1) Repeat field site visits; 2) Geological experiments; 3) Satellite ABC campus(es); 4) Advanced lab equipment; 5) Frequent and resource-intensive EVAs; and 6) Geoscience STEM engagement. Lastly, we consider certain issues and caveats meriting...