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: 80
Measurements of Martian dust devil winds with HiRISE Measurements of Martian dust devil winds with HiRISE
We report wind measurements within Martian dust devils observed in plan view from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) orbiting Mars. The central color swath of the HiRISE instrument has three separate charge‐coupled devices (CCDs) and color filters that observe the surface in rapid cadence. Active features, such as dust devils, appear in motion when observed by this...
Authors
D.S. Choi, Colin Dundas
Hydrovolcanic features on Mars: Preliminary analysis of one Mars year of HiRISE observations Hydrovolcanic features on Mars: Preliminary analysis of one Mars year of HiRISE observations
We provide an overview of features indicative of the interaction between water and lava and/or magma on Mars as seen by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera during the Primary Science Phase of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission. The ability to confidently resolve meter-scale features from orbit has been extremely useful in the study of the most...
Authors
Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Windy Jaeger, Colin Dundas, Sara Martinez-Alonso, Alfred McEwen, Moses Milazzo
Crater population and resurfacing of the Martian north polar layered deposits Crater population and resurfacing of the Martian north polar layered deposits
Present‐day accumulation in the north polar layered deposits (NPLD) is thought to occur via deposition on the north polar residual cap. Understanding current mass balance in relation to current climate would provide insight into the climatic record of the NPLD. To constrain processes and rates of NPLD resurfacing, a search for craters was conducted using images from the Mars...
Authors
Maria Banks, Shane Byrne, Kapil Galla, Alfred McEwen, Veronica Bray, Colin Dundas, Kathryn Fishbaugh, Kenneth Herkenhoff, Bruce Murray
The role of material properties in the cratering record of young platy-ridged lava on Mars The role of material properties in the cratering record of young platy-ridged lava on Mars
Platy‐ridged surfaces in the Elysium Planitia region of Mars exhibit different crater densities on rafted plates and polygonally patterned areas between them. Rather than being indicative of different ages, these differences provide insight into the variable strength of different types of lava surface. The sizes of small craters, and the resulting size‐frequency distribution (SFD)...
Authors
Colin Dundas, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Veronica Bray, Alfred McEwen
The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) during MRO's Primary Science Phase (PSP) The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) during MRO's Primary Science Phase (PSP)
The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) acquired 8 terapixels of data in 9137 images of Mars between October 2006 and December 2008, covering ∼0.55% of the surface. Images are typically 5–6 km wide with 3-color coverage over the central 20% of the swath, and their scales usually range from 25 to 60 cm/pixel. Nine hundred and sixty...
Authors
Alfred McEwen, Maria Banks, Nicole Baugh, Kris Becker, Aaron Boyd, James Bergstrom, Ross Beyer, Edward Bortolini, Nathan Bridges, Shane Byrne, Bradford Castalia, Frank Chuang, Larry Crumpler, Ingrid J. Daubar, Alix Davatzes, Donald Deardorff, Alaina DeJong, W. Delamere, Eldar Dobrea, Colin Dundas, Eric Eliason, Yisrael Espinoza, Audrie Fennema, Kathryn Fishbaugh, Terry Forrester, Paul Geissler, John Grant, Jennifer Griffes, John P. Grotzinger, Virginia Gulick, Candice Hansen, Kenneth Herkenhoff, Rodney Heyd, Windy Jaeger, Dean Jones, Bob Kanefsky, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Robert King, Randolph Kirk, Kelly Kolb, Jeffrey Lasco, Alexandra Lefort, Richard Leis, Kevin Lewis, Sara Martinez-Alonso, Sarah Mattson, Guy McArthur, Michael Mellon, Joannah Metz, Moses Milazzo, Ralph Milliken, Tahirih Motazedian, Chris Okubo, Albert Ortiz, Andrea Philippoff, Joseph Plassmann, Anjani Polit, Patrick Russell, Christian Schaller, Mindi Searls, Timothy Spriggs, Steve Squyres, Steven Tarr, Nicolas Thomas, Bradley Thomson, Livio L. Tornabene, Charlie Van Houten, Circe Verba, Catherine Weitz, James Wray
High resolution imaging science experiment (HiRISE) images of volcanic terrains from the first 6 months of the Mars reconnaissance orbiter primary science phase High resolution imaging science experiment (HiRISE) images of volcanic terrains from the first 6 months of the Mars reconnaissance orbiter primary science phase
In the first 6 months of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's Primary Science Phase, the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera has returned images sampling the diversity of volcanic terrains on Mars. While many of these features were noted in earlier imaging, they are now seen with unprecedented clarity. We find that some volcanic vents produced predominantly effusive...
Authors
Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Windy Jaeger, Alfred McEwen, Livio Tornabene, Ross Beyer, Colin Dundas, Moses Milazzo
HiRISE observations of fractured mounds: Possible Martian pingos HiRISE observations of fractured mounds: Possible Martian pingos
Early images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera have revealed small fractured mounds in the Martian mid‐latitudes. HiRISE resolves fractures on the mound surfaces, indicating uplift, and shows that the mound surface material resembles that of the surrounding landscape. Analysis of Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images shows that in Utopia Planitia the mounds...
Authors
Colin Dundas, Michael Mellon, Alfred McEwen, Alexandra Lefort, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Nicolas Thomas
Athabasca Valles, Mars: A lava-draped channel system Athabasca Valles, Mars: A lava-draped channel system
Athabasca Valles is a young outflow channel system on Mars that may have been carved by catastrophic water floods. However, images acquired by the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft reveal that Athabasca Valles is now entirely draped by a thin layer of solidified lava - the remnant of a once-swollen river of molten rock...
Authors
Windy Jaeger, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Alfred McEwen, Colin Dundas, Paul Russell
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 80
Measurements of Martian dust devil winds with HiRISE Measurements of Martian dust devil winds with HiRISE
We report wind measurements within Martian dust devils observed in plan view from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) orbiting Mars. The central color swath of the HiRISE instrument has three separate charge‐coupled devices (CCDs) and color filters that observe the surface in rapid cadence. Active features, such as dust devils, appear in motion when observed by this...
Authors
D.S. Choi, Colin Dundas
Hydrovolcanic features on Mars: Preliminary analysis of one Mars year of HiRISE observations Hydrovolcanic features on Mars: Preliminary analysis of one Mars year of HiRISE observations
We provide an overview of features indicative of the interaction between water and lava and/or magma on Mars as seen by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera during the Primary Science Phase of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission. The ability to confidently resolve meter-scale features from orbit has been extremely useful in the study of the most...
Authors
Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Windy Jaeger, Colin Dundas, Sara Martinez-Alonso, Alfred McEwen, Moses Milazzo
Crater population and resurfacing of the Martian north polar layered deposits Crater population and resurfacing of the Martian north polar layered deposits
Present‐day accumulation in the north polar layered deposits (NPLD) is thought to occur via deposition on the north polar residual cap. Understanding current mass balance in relation to current climate would provide insight into the climatic record of the NPLD. To constrain processes and rates of NPLD resurfacing, a search for craters was conducted using images from the Mars...
Authors
Maria Banks, Shane Byrne, Kapil Galla, Alfred McEwen, Veronica Bray, Colin Dundas, Kathryn Fishbaugh, Kenneth Herkenhoff, Bruce Murray
The role of material properties in the cratering record of young platy-ridged lava on Mars The role of material properties in the cratering record of young platy-ridged lava on Mars
Platy‐ridged surfaces in the Elysium Planitia region of Mars exhibit different crater densities on rafted plates and polygonally patterned areas between them. Rather than being indicative of different ages, these differences provide insight into the variable strength of different types of lava surface. The sizes of small craters, and the resulting size‐frequency distribution (SFD)...
Authors
Colin Dundas, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Veronica Bray, Alfred McEwen
The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) during MRO's Primary Science Phase (PSP) The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) during MRO's Primary Science Phase (PSP)
The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) acquired 8 terapixels of data in 9137 images of Mars between October 2006 and December 2008, covering ∼0.55% of the surface. Images are typically 5–6 km wide with 3-color coverage over the central 20% of the swath, and their scales usually range from 25 to 60 cm/pixel. Nine hundred and sixty...
Authors
Alfred McEwen, Maria Banks, Nicole Baugh, Kris Becker, Aaron Boyd, James Bergstrom, Ross Beyer, Edward Bortolini, Nathan Bridges, Shane Byrne, Bradford Castalia, Frank Chuang, Larry Crumpler, Ingrid J. Daubar, Alix Davatzes, Donald Deardorff, Alaina DeJong, W. Delamere, Eldar Dobrea, Colin Dundas, Eric Eliason, Yisrael Espinoza, Audrie Fennema, Kathryn Fishbaugh, Terry Forrester, Paul Geissler, John Grant, Jennifer Griffes, John P. Grotzinger, Virginia Gulick, Candice Hansen, Kenneth Herkenhoff, Rodney Heyd, Windy Jaeger, Dean Jones, Bob Kanefsky, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Robert King, Randolph Kirk, Kelly Kolb, Jeffrey Lasco, Alexandra Lefort, Richard Leis, Kevin Lewis, Sara Martinez-Alonso, Sarah Mattson, Guy McArthur, Michael Mellon, Joannah Metz, Moses Milazzo, Ralph Milliken, Tahirih Motazedian, Chris Okubo, Albert Ortiz, Andrea Philippoff, Joseph Plassmann, Anjani Polit, Patrick Russell, Christian Schaller, Mindi Searls, Timothy Spriggs, Steve Squyres, Steven Tarr, Nicolas Thomas, Bradley Thomson, Livio L. Tornabene, Charlie Van Houten, Circe Verba, Catherine Weitz, James Wray
High resolution imaging science experiment (HiRISE) images of volcanic terrains from the first 6 months of the Mars reconnaissance orbiter primary science phase High resolution imaging science experiment (HiRISE) images of volcanic terrains from the first 6 months of the Mars reconnaissance orbiter primary science phase
In the first 6 months of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's Primary Science Phase, the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera has returned images sampling the diversity of volcanic terrains on Mars. While many of these features were noted in earlier imaging, they are now seen with unprecedented clarity. We find that some volcanic vents produced predominantly effusive...
Authors
Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Windy Jaeger, Alfred McEwen, Livio Tornabene, Ross Beyer, Colin Dundas, Moses Milazzo
HiRISE observations of fractured mounds: Possible Martian pingos HiRISE observations of fractured mounds: Possible Martian pingos
Early images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera have revealed small fractured mounds in the Martian mid‐latitudes. HiRISE resolves fractures on the mound surfaces, indicating uplift, and shows that the mound surface material resembles that of the surrounding landscape. Analysis of Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images shows that in Utopia Planitia the mounds...
Authors
Colin Dundas, Michael Mellon, Alfred McEwen, Alexandra Lefort, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Nicolas Thomas
Athabasca Valles, Mars: A lava-draped channel system Athabasca Valles, Mars: A lava-draped channel system
Athabasca Valles is a young outflow channel system on Mars that may have been carved by catastrophic water floods. However, images acquired by the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft reveal that Athabasca Valles is now entirely draped by a thin layer of solidified lava - the remnant of a once-swollen river of molten rock...
Authors
Windy Jaeger, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Alfred McEwen, Colin Dundas, Paul Russell