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Colin Dundas, PhD

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.

Ph.D., Planetary Science (Geoscience minor), The University of Arizona, 2009

B.S., Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, 2004

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

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Planetary Volatiles: Snow and Ice

The USGS Astrogeology Science Center conducts research on planetary volatiles. Volatiles include substances that have a high vapor pressure relative to the ambient atmosphere. We study the longevity, locations and other characteristics of volatiles. More specifically: H2O ice, snow and frost are volatiles on the Earth. We study the persistence of perennial snowfields in Colorado and Mongolia. Mars...
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Core Science Systems, Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, Water Resources, Astrogeology Science Center
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Planetary Volatiles: Snow and Ice

The USGS Astrogeology Science Center conducts research on planetary volatiles. Volatiles include substances that have a high vapor pressure relative to the ambient atmosphere. We study the longevity, locations and other characteristics of volatiles. More specifically: H2O ice, snow and frost are volatiles on the Earth. We study the persistence of perennial snowfields in Colorado and Mongolia. Mars...
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Gully Monitoring Sites and New Flows on Mars Observed in HiRISE Data

This dataset consists of data from monitoring of gullies on Mars using the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE). Table 1 provides a list of monitored locations, which are HiRISE image series covering Martian gullies with a time baseline of at least 4000 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) orbits. Images from these locations were blink-compared at 1 m/pix to search for changes on the g
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Astrogeology Science Center

Sensor Data from Monitoring the Cooling of the 2014-2015 Lava Flow and Hydrothermal System at Holuhraun, Iceland

This data release is a companion to Dundas et al., NNNN. Additional description of the methods and rationale for data collection is provided there. The primary data are from several categories of data-logging sensors described in detail below. Sixteen images are also included as part of this data release. These document the sensor locations as described in Dundas et al. (NNNN).
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Astrogeology Science Center

Sensor Data from Monitoring the Cooling of the 2014-2015 Lava Flow and Hydrothermal System at Holuhraun, Iceland

This data release is a companion to Dundas et al., NNNN. Additional description of the methods and rationale for data collection is provided there. The primary data are from several categories of data-logging sensors described in detail below. Sixteen images are also included as part of this data release. These document the sensor locations as described in Dundas et al. (NNNN).
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Astrogeology Science Center

Locations and Properties of Ice-Exposing Scarps and New Impact Craters in the Mid-Latitudes of Mars

Although ice in the Martian mid-latitudes is typically covered by a layer of dust or regolith, it is exposed in some locations by fresh impact craters or in erosional scarps. In both cases, the exposed ice is massive or excess ice with a low lithic content. We find that erosional scarps occur between 50-61 north and south latitude, and that they are concentrated in and near Milankovi crater in the
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Astrogeology Science Center
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It’s time for focused in situ studies of planetary surface-atmosphere interactions

A critical gap in planetary observations has been in situ characterization of extra-terrestrial, present-day atmospheric and surface environments and activity. While some surface activity has been observed and some in situ meteorological measurements have been collected by auxiliary instruments on Mars, existing information is insufficient to conclusively characterize the natural processes via con
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Natural Hazards, Astrogeology Science Center

The formation mechanisms for mid-latitude ice scarps on Mars

Mid-latitude exposed ice scarps have recently been identified on Mars (Dundas et al., 2018; 2021). The presence of such surface ice exposures at relatively low latitudes was itself a mystery, and the formation dynamics of such scarps have also not been explained. In this work we model the ice ablation rates of several identified mid-latitude scarps. We find that, given certain characteristics of t
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Natural Hazards, Astrogeology Science Center

Martian gully activity and the gully sediment transport system

The formation process for Martian gullies is a critical unknown for understanding recent climate conditions. Leading hypotheses include formation by snowmelt in a past climate, or formation via currently active CO2 frost processes. This paper presents an expanded catalog of >300 recent flows in gullies. The results indicate that sediment transport in current gully flows moves the full range of mat
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Natural Hazards, Astrogeology Science Center

Revealing active Mars with HiRISE digital terrain models

Many discoveries of active surface processes on Mars have been made due to the availability of repeat high-resolution images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. HiRISE stereo images are used to make digital terrain models (DTMs) and orthorectified images (orthoimages). HiRISE DTMs and orthoimage time series have been crucial for adv
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Natural Hazards, Astrogeology Science Center

A numerical model for the cooling of a lava sill with heat pipe effects

Understanding the cooling process of volcanic intrusions into wet sediments is a difficult but important problem, given the presence of extremely large temperature gradients and potentially complex water-magma interactions. This report presents a numerical model to study such interactions, including the effect of heat pipes on the cooling of volcanic intrusions. Udell (1985) has shown that heat pi
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Natural Hazards, Astrogeology Science Center

Active Mars: A dynamic world

Mars exhibits diverse surface changes at all latitudes and all seasons. Active processes include impact cratering, aeolian sand and dust transport, a variety of slope processes, changes in polar ices, and diverse effects of seasonal CO2 frost. The extent of surface change has been surprising and indicates that the present climate is capable of reshaping the surface. Activity has important implicat
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Natural Hazards, Astrogeology Science Center

Introduction: Does water flow on Martian slopes?

No abstract available.
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Natural Hazards, Astrogeology Science Center

Dry formation of recent Martian slope features

Martian surface conditions are cold and dry, unfavorable for liquid water, yet steep slopes display young and currently active features suggestive of wet processes. These include recurring slope lineae and slope streaks, gully landforms, and small lobate features. Wet origins for these features would imply surprising amounts of liquid water at the surface. However, detailed observations of the mor
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Natural Hazards, Astrogeology Science Center

Mars science helicopter: Compelling science enabled by an aerial platform

This whitepaper describes two conceptual vehicle designs, including possible tradeoffs within those designs, which would enable a wide array of innovative science investigations. In addition to describing vehicle capabilities, flight characteristics, and the breadth of enabled science for the two helicopter designs, we also introduce three mission concepts that showcase investigations made possibl
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Natural Hazards, Astrogeology Science Center

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 reaches low
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Natural Hazards, Astrogeology Science Center

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 record past l
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Natural Hazards, Astrogeology Science Center

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 fundamental
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Natural Hazards, Astrogeology Science Center
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3-D Structure of Buried Ice Sheets on Mars Revealed by High-Resolution Images

For the first time, high-resolution images show the three-dimensional structure of massive ice deposits on Mars. According to an in-depth analysis led...

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Previous Evidence of Water on Mars Now Identified as Grainflows

Dark features previously proposed as evidence for significant liquid water flowing on Mars have now been identified as granular flows, where sand and...

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