Colin Dundas, Ph.D.
Colin Dundas is a Research Geologist with the Astrogeology Science Center. He studies planetary geomorphology and surface processes using spacecraft imagery and topography data as well as numerical modeling, with a particular focus on active processes and change detection. He is a Co-Investigator and Science Theme Lead for Mass Wasting on the HiRISE camera team.
Past and current research areas include:
- Current activity on Martian slopes, including Recurring Slope Lineae and changes in gullies
- Martian ground ice, ice-exposing impact craters and scarps, and sublimation-thermokarst landforms
- Large lava flows and lava-volatile interactions on Mars, Io, and Earth
- Effects of target properties and secondary craters on crater chronology
- Floods in Martian outflow channels
- Volatile-loss landforms in the Solar System
Professional Experience
2009-2011: Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Arizona.
2011 - Present: Research Geologist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Planetary Science (Geoscience minor), The University of Arizona, 2009
B.S., Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, 2004
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 81
Mid-latitude ice on Mars: A science target for planetary climate histories and an exploration target for in situ resources Mid-latitude ice on Mars: A science target for planetary climate histories and an exploration target for in situ resources
In the last decade, aided by the high-resolution data and long-term monitoring by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and other spacecraft, extensive evidence has emerged supporting the presence of abundant H2O ground ice throughout much of the mid-latitudes of Mars. Growing evidence indicates that much of this ice is relatively pure, exists within a few meters of the surface, and...
Authors
Ali Bramson, Chimira Andres, Jonathan Bapst, Patricio Becerra, Samuel W Courville, Colin M. Dundas, Shannon M Hibbard, John W Holt, Suniti Karunatillake, Aditya Khuller, Michael T. Mellon, Gareth A Morgan, R. W. Obbard, Matthew R Perry, Eric I Petersen, Nathaniel E. Putzig, Hanna G Sizemore, Isaac B. Smith, David E Stillman, Paul Wooster
GANGOTRI mission concept on the glacial key to the Amazonian climate of Mars GANGOTRI mission concept on the glacial key to the Amazonian climate of Mars
The GANGOTRI mission concept would investigate in situ the geologic origins of midlatitudinal Martian glaciers, as underlain by Amazonian climate evolution, by riddling the ice with a hybrid thermo-mechanical drill for deep englacial sampling. GANGOTRI would use regolith compositional measurements to characterize ice-regolith interaction, and stable isotope measurements to characterize...
Authors
Suniti Karunatillake, Ali M Bramson, Kris Zacny, Colin M. Dundas, Lujendra Ojha, Oded Aharonson, Eran Vos, Don R Hood, A. Deanne Rogers, Joseph S. Levy, Peter Doran, Kathleen Mandt, Jack Wilson, Emily B Hughes, Heidi Fuqua-Haviland, Jeffrey Moersch, Scott M. Perl, Dewan E. Haque, J. R. Skok, Harish, S. Vijayan, A. Bhardwaj, Brent Christner, Hanna Sizemore, A Kereszturi, Norbert Schorghofer, Kurt Retherford, Paul Niles, Juan Manuel Lorenzo, Katherine Mesick, Heather Franz, Jose Rodriguez-Manfredi, Daniel Coupland, Peter Bertone
Current activity on the Martian surface: A key subject for future exploration Current activity on the Martian surface: A key subject for future exploration
One of the fundamental discoveries in Mars science in the last decade has been the extent and importance of current surface activity. Recent results have shifted our view of Mars from a world where the most interesting geologic events were in the distant past (similar to the Moon) to a world that undergoes active evolution and one where understanding the present is key to deciphering the...
Authors
Colin M. Dundas, Shane Byrne, Matthew Chojnacki, Serina Diniega, Ingrid J. Daubar, Christopher W. Hamilton, Candice J. Hansen, Alfred S. McEwen, Ganna Portyankina, Hanna G Sizemore
Maximizing the science and resource mapping potential of Orbital VSWIR Spectral measurements of Mars Maximizing the science and resource mapping potential of Orbital VSWIR Spectral measurements of Mars
The last 16 years witnessed a rapid growth in understanding the composition and aqueous alteration of Mars’ surface from orbital data from the Observatoire pour la Mineralogie, l’Eau, les Glaces et l’Activité (OMEGA) [1] and Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) [2]. Both are sensitive to water-, hydroxyl-, sulfate-, and carbonate-bearing and ferric phases that...
Authors
Scott L. Murchie, Raymond E. Arvidson, Janice L Bishop, Wendy M. Calvin, John Carter, John Christian, Roger N. Clark, Colin M. Dundas, Bethany L. Ehlmann, Valerie K. Fox, Abigail A. Fraeman, Timothy A Goudge, Briony H. N. Horgan, Madison N Hughes, Ellen K Leask, Alfred S. McEwen, John F Mustard, Mario Parente, Kathryn E Powell, Frank P. Seelos, Kimberly D. Seelos, Jesse D Tarnas, Christina E Viviano, James J. Wray
A critical gap: In situ measurements of surface-atmosphere interactions from outside earth A critical gap: In situ measurements of surface-atmosphere interactions from outside earth
This white paper demonstrates five points: (1) The lack of robust measurements of the vertical gradients of natural boundary layers and transport fluxes on other planetary bodies precludes adequate estimation of aeolian and other meteorological processes throughout our Solar System (§1). (2) Thus, there exist critical knowledge gaps within high-priority planetary science questions that...
Authors
Serina Diniega, Devon M. Burr, Colin M. Dundas, Brian Jackson, Michael Mischna, Scot Rafkin, Isaac B. Smith, Robert Sullivan, Timothy N. Titus, Nathalie Vriend, Ian J. Walker, Kaj E. Williams
Summary of the final report from the Ice and Climate Evolution Science Analysis group (ICE-SAG) Summary of the final report from the Ice and Climate Evolution Science Analysis group (ICE-SAG)
The Ice and Climate Evolution Science Analysis Group (ICE-SAG) was convened by the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) in fall 2018, with the aims of (1) identifying and prioritizing fundamental science questions related to the recent and ongoing evolution of Mars volatiles and climate, and (2) exploring new mission approaches that could address these high-priority science...
Authors
Serina Diniega, Nathaniel E. Putzig, Shane Byrne, Wendy M. Calvin, Colin M. Dundas, Lori K. Fenton, Paul O. Hayne, David M H Baker, John W Holt, Christine S. Hvidberg, Melinda Kahre, Michael Mischna, Gareth A Morgan, Dorothy Oehler, Ganna Portyankina, A. Deanne Rogers, Hanna G Sizemore, Isaac B. Smith, Alejandro Soto, Leslie Tamppari, Timothy N. Titus, Chris Webster
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 81
Mid-latitude ice on Mars: A science target for planetary climate histories and an exploration target for in situ resources Mid-latitude ice on Mars: A science target for planetary climate histories and an exploration target for in situ resources
In the last decade, aided by the high-resolution data and long-term monitoring by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and other spacecraft, extensive evidence has emerged supporting the presence of abundant H2O ground ice throughout much of the mid-latitudes of Mars. Growing evidence indicates that much of this ice is relatively pure, exists within a few meters of the surface, and...
Authors
Ali Bramson, Chimira Andres, Jonathan Bapst, Patricio Becerra, Samuel W Courville, Colin M. Dundas, Shannon M Hibbard, John W Holt, Suniti Karunatillake, Aditya Khuller, Michael T. Mellon, Gareth A Morgan, R. W. Obbard, Matthew R Perry, Eric I Petersen, Nathaniel E. Putzig, Hanna G Sizemore, Isaac B. Smith, David E Stillman, Paul Wooster
GANGOTRI mission concept on the glacial key to the Amazonian climate of Mars GANGOTRI mission concept on the glacial key to the Amazonian climate of Mars
The GANGOTRI mission concept would investigate in situ the geologic origins of midlatitudinal Martian glaciers, as underlain by Amazonian climate evolution, by riddling the ice with a hybrid thermo-mechanical drill for deep englacial sampling. GANGOTRI would use regolith compositional measurements to characterize ice-regolith interaction, and stable isotope measurements to characterize...
Authors
Suniti Karunatillake, Ali M Bramson, Kris Zacny, Colin M. Dundas, Lujendra Ojha, Oded Aharonson, Eran Vos, Don R Hood, A. Deanne Rogers, Joseph S. Levy, Peter Doran, Kathleen Mandt, Jack Wilson, Emily B Hughes, Heidi Fuqua-Haviland, Jeffrey Moersch, Scott M. Perl, Dewan E. Haque, J. R. Skok, Harish, S. Vijayan, A. Bhardwaj, Brent Christner, Hanna Sizemore, A Kereszturi, Norbert Schorghofer, Kurt Retherford, Paul Niles, Juan Manuel Lorenzo, Katherine Mesick, Heather Franz, Jose Rodriguez-Manfredi, Daniel Coupland, Peter Bertone
Current activity on the Martian surface: A key subject for future exploration Current activity on the Martian surface: A key subject for future exploration
One of the fundamental discoveries in Mars science in the last decade has been the extent and importance of current surface activity. Recent results have shifted our view of Mars from a world where the most interesting geologic events were in the distant past (similar to the Moon) to a world that undergoes active evolution and one where understanding the present is key to deciphering the...
Authors
Colin M. Dundas, Shane Byrne, Matthew Chojnacki, Serina Diniega, Ingrid J. Daubar, Christopher W. Hamilton, Candice J. Hansen, Alfred S. McEwen, Ganna Portyankina, Hanna G Sizemore
Maximizing the science and resource mapping potential of Orbital VSWIR Spectral measurements of Mars Maximizing the science and resource mapping potential of Orbital VSWIR Spectral measurements of Mars
The last 16 years witnessed a rapid growth in understanding the composition and aqueous alteration of Mars’ surface from orbital data from the Observatoire pour la Mineralogie, l’Eau, les Glaces et l’Activité (OMEGA) [1] and Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) [2]. Both are sensitive to water-, hydroxyl-, sulfate-, and carbonate-bearing and ferric phases that...
Authors
Scott L. Murchie, Raymond E. Arvidson, Janice L Bishop, Wendy M. Calvin, John Carter, John Christian, Roger N. Clark, Colin M. Dundas, Bethany L. Ehlmann, Valerie K. Fox, Abigail A. Fraeman, Timothy A Goudge, Briony H. N. Horgan, Madison N Hughes, Ellen K Leask, Alfred S. McEwen, John F Mustard, Mario Parente, Kathryn E Powell, Frank P. Seelos, Kimberly D. Seelos, Jesse D Tarnas, Christina E Viviano, James J. Wray
A critical gap: In situ measurements of surface-atmosphere interactions from outside earth A critical gap: In situ measurements of surface-atmosphere interactions from outside earth
This white paper demonstrates five points: (1) The lack of robust measurements of the vertical gradients of natural boundary layers and transport fluxes on other planetary bodies precludes adequate estimation of aeolian and other meteorological processes throughout our Solar System (§1). (2) Thus, there exist critical knowledge gaps within high-priority planetary science questions that...
Authors
Serina Diniega, Devon M. Burr, Colin M. Dundas, Brian Jackson, Michael Mischna, Scot Rafkin, Isaac B. Smith, Robert Sullivan, Timothy N. Titus, Nathalie Vriend, Ian J. Walker, Kaj E. Williams
Summary of the final report from the Ice and Climate Evolution Science Analysis group (ICE-SAG) Summary of the final report from the Ice and Climate Evolution Science Analysis group (ICE-SAG)
The Ice and Climate Evolution Science Analysis Group (ICE-SAG) was convened by the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) in fall 2018, with the aims of (1) identifying and prioritizing fundamental science questions related to the recent and ongoing evolution of Mars volatiles and climate, and (2) exploring new mission approaches that could address these high-priority science...
Authors
Serina Diniega, Nathaniel E. Putzig, Shane Byrne, Wendy M. Calvin, Colin M. Dundas, Lori K. Fenton, Paul O. Hayne, David M H Baker, John W Holt, Christine S. Hvidberg, Melinda Kahre, Michael Mischna, Gareth A Morgan, Dorothy Oehler, Ganna Portyankina, A. Deanne Rogers, Hanna G Sizemore, Isaac B. Smith, Alejandro Soto, Leslie Tamppari, Timothy N. Titus, Chris Webster