Michael Bland, Ph.D.
Mike Bland is a research space scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center. His interests primarily lie in combining numerical models with planetary datasets to understand the thermal and tectonic evolution of ice-rich bodies.
Past and current research areas include:
- The mechanics of rifting in ice lithospheres (e.g., Ganymede and Enceladus)
- The formation of contractional features on icy bodies (e.g., Europa, Enceladus, Titan)
- Crater modification due to viscous relaxation (Enceladus and Ceres)
- Mountain formation on Io
- Differentiation of large icy satellites (Ganymede and Titan)
- Production of Ganymede's magnetic field
Professional Experience
Dawn at Ceres Guest Investigator
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Planetary Science, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ (2008)
BA Physics/Geology, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter MN (2002)
Honors and Awards
First Decade Award, Gustavus Adolphus College (2012)
NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (2007)
Gerard P. Kuiper Award, University of Arizona (2007)
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 40
The evolution of a young ocean within Mimas The evolution of a young ocean within Mimas
The fractured, young surfaces on confirmed ocean worlds such as Europa and Enceladus suggest that ocean-bearing moons with relatively thin overlying ice shells should be easy to identify. Hence, the discovery that Mimas’ rotation state is best explained by an internal ocean seems challenging to reconcile with its heavily cratered surface. Previous studies have shown that an internal...
Authors
A. R. Rhoden, M. E. Walker, M. L. Rudolph, Michael T. Bland, Michael Manga
Planned geological investigations of the Europa Clipper mission Planned geological investigations of the Europa Clipper mission
Geological investigations planned for the Europa Clipper mission will examine the formation, evolution, and expression of geomorphic structures found on the surface. Understanding geologic features, their formation, and any recent activity are key inputs in constraining Europa’s potential for habitability. In addition to providing information about the moon’s habitability, the geologic...
Authors
I. J. Daubar, A. G. Hayes, Gail C. Collins, K. Craft, J. A. Rathbun, J.R. Spencer, D. Wyrick, Michael T. Bland, A. G. Davies, C. M. Ernst, Samuel Howell, Erin J. Leonard, Alfred S. McEwen, J. M. Moore, C. B. Phillips, L. Prockter, L. C. Quick, J. E. C. Scully, J. M. Soderblom, S. M. Brooks, M. Cable, M. E. Cameron, K. Chan, C. J. Chivers, M. Choukroun, Corey Cochrane, S. Diniega, A. J. Dombard, Catherine Elder, Christopher Gerekos, Christopher R. Glein, T Greathouse, C. Grima, Murthy Gudipati, K. L. Hand, C. Hansen, Paul O. Hayne, M. Hedman, K. Hughson, X. Jia, J. Lawrence, H. M. Meyer, H. L. Miller, Gerald Wesley Patterson, D Persaud, S. Piqueux, K. Retherford, Kirk Scanlan, P. Schenk, B. Schmidt, D. Schroeder, Gregor Steinbrugge, A. Stern, Gabriel Tobie, Paul Withers, D. A. Young, B. Buratti, Haje Korth, D. Senske, Robert Pappalardo
Current status of the community sensor model standard for the generation of planetary digital terrain models Current status of the community sensor model standard for the generation of planetary digital terrain models
The creation of accurate elevation models (topography) from stereo images are critical for a large variety of geospatial activities, including the production of digital orthomosaics, change detection, landing site analysis, geologic mapping, rover traverse planning, and spectral analysis. The United Stated Geological Survey, Astrogeology Science Center, continues to transition the...
Authors
Trent M. Hare, Randolph L. Kirk, Michael T. Bland, Donna M. Galuszka, Jason Laura, David Mayer, Bonnie L. Redding, Benjamin H Wheeler
The inevitability of large shallow craters on Callisto and Ganymede: Implications for crater depth-diameter trends The inevitability of large shallow craters on Callisto and Ganymede: Implications for crater depth-diameter trends
Complex craters with diameters (D) ≥ 40 km on Callisto and Ganymede are shallower than would be expected from simply extrapolating the depth-diameter trend from smaller (D ≤ 40 km) craters. This unusual depth-diameter (d-D) trend, and associated changes in crater morphology, have been hypothesized to result from rheological transitions, including the existence of an ocean, within the...
Authors
Michael T. Bland, Veronica Bray
Exploring the interior of Europa with the Europa Clipper Exploring the interior of Europa with the Europa Clipper
The Galileo mission to Jupiter revealed that Europa is an ocean world. The Galileo magnetometer experiment in particular provided strong evidence for a salty subsurface ocean beneath the ice shell, likely in contact with the rocky core. Within the ice shell and ocean, a number of tectonic and geodynamic processes may operate today or have operated at some point in the past, including...
Authors
James Roberts, William B. McKinnon, Catherine Elder, Gabriel Tobie, John Biersteker, Duncan Young, Ryan S. Park, Gregor Steinbrugge, Francis Nimmo, Samuel Howell, Julie C. Castillo-Rogez, Morgan Cable, Jacob Abrahams, Michael T. Bland, Chase Chivers, Corey Cochrane, Andrew Dombard, Carolyn M. Ernst, Antonio Genova, Christopher Gerekos, Christopher R. Glein, Camilla Harris, Hamish Hay, Paul O. Hayne, Matthew Hedman, Hauke Hussmann, Xianzhe Jia, Krishan Khurana, Walter Kiefer, Randolph L. Kirk, Margaret Kivelson, Justin D. Lawrence, Erin J. Leonard, Jonathan Lunine, Erwan Mazarico, Thomas B. McCord, Alfred S. McEwen, Carol Paty, Lynnae Quick, Carol A. Raymond, Kurt Retherford, Lorenz Roth, Abigail Rymer, Joachim Saur, Kirk Scanlan, Dustin Schroeder, David Senske, Wencheng Shao, Krista Soderlund, Elizabeth Spiers, Marshall Styczinski, Paolo Tortora, Steven Vance, Michaela Villarreal, Benjamin Weiss, Joseph Westlake, Paul Withers, Natalie Wolfenbarger, Bonnie J. Buratti, Haje Korth, Robert Pappalardo, Interior Thematic Working Group
Viscous relaxation of Oort and Edgeworth craters on Pluto: Possible indicators of an epoch of early high heat flow Viscous relaxation of Oort and Edgeworth craters on Pluto: Possible indicators of an epoch of early high heat flow
Impact craters, with their well-defined initial shapes, have proven useful as heat flow probes of a number of icy bodies, provided characteristics of viscous relaxation can be identified. For Pluto's numerous craters, such identifications are hampered/complicated by infilling and erosion by mobile volatile ices, but not in every case. Large craters offer relatively deep probes of...
Authors
W. B. McKinnon, Michael T. Bland, K. Singer, P. M. Schenk, S. Robbins
Non-USGS Publications**
Bland, M. T. 2013. Predicted crater morphologies on Ceres: Probing internal structure and evolution. Icarus, 226, 510-521.
Bland, M. T. and McKinnon, W. B., 2013. Does folding accommodate Europa’s contractional strain? The effect of surface temperature on fold formation in ice lithospheres. Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 2534-2538, doi:10.1002/grl.50506.
Bland, M. T., and McKinnon, W. B., 2012. Forming Europa’s folds: Strain requirements for the production of large-amplitude deformation. Icarus,221, 694-709.
Bland, M. T., Singer, K. S., McKinnon, W. B., and Schenk, P. M. 2012. Enceladus’ extreme heat flux as revealed by its relaxed craters. Geo. Res. Lett., 39, L17204, doi:10.1029/2012GL052736.
Bland, M. T., McKinnon, W. B., and Showman, A. P., 2010. The effects of strain localization on the formation of Ganymede’s grooved terrain. Icarus, 210, 396-410.
Bland, M. T., Showman, A. P., and Tobie, G., 2009. The orbital-thermal evolution and global expansion of Ganymede. Icarus, 200, 207-221.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 40
The evolution of a young ocean within Mimas The evolution of a young ocean within Mimas
The fractured, young surfaces on confirmed ocean worlds such as Europa and Enceladus suggest that ocean-bearing moons with relatively thin overlying ice shells should be easy to identify. Hence, the discovery that Mimas’ rotation state is best explained by an internal ocean seems challenging to reconcile with its heavily cratered surface. Previous studies have shown that an internal...
Authors
A. R. Rhoden, M. E. Walker, M. L. Rudolph, Michael T. Bland, Michael Manga
Planned geological investigations of the Europa Clipper mission Planned geological investigations of the Europa Clipper mission
Geological investigations planned for the Europa Clipper mission will examine the formation, evolution, and expression of geomorphic structures found on the surface. Understanding geologic features, their formation, and any recent activity are key inputs in constraining Europa’s potential for habitability. In addition to providing information about the moon’s habitability, the geologic...
Authors
I. J. Daubar, A. G. Hayes, Gail C. Collins, K. Craft, J. A. Rathbun, J.R. Spencer, D. Wyrick, Michael T. Bland, A. G. Davies, C. M. Ernst, Samuel Howell, Erin J. Leonard, Alfred S. McEwen, J. M. Moore, C. B. Phillips, L. Prockter, L. C. Quick, J. E. C. Scully, J. M. Soderblom, S. M. Brooks, M. Cable, M. E. Cameron, K. Chan, C. J. Chivers, M. Choukroun, Corey Cochrane, S. Diniega, A. J. Dombard, Catherine Elder, Christopher Gerekos, Christopher R. Glein, T Greathouse, C. Grima, Murthy Gudipati, K. L. Hand, C. Hansen, Paul O. Hayne, M. Hedman, K. Hughson, X. Jia, J. Lawrence, H. M. Meyer, H. L. Miller, Gerald Wesley Patterson, D Persaud, S. Piqueux, K. Retherford, Kirk Scanlan, P. Schenk, B. Schmidt, D. Schroeder, Gregor Steinbrugge, A. Stern, Gabriel Tobie, Paul Withers, D. A. Young, B. Buratti, Haje Korth, D. Senske, Robert Pappalardo
Current status of the community sensor model standard for the generation of planetary digital terrain models Current status of the community sensor model standard for the generation of planetary digital terrain models
The creation of accurate elevation models (topography) from stereo images are critical for a large variety of geospatial activities, including the production of digital orthomosaics, change detection, landing site analysis, geologic mapping, rover traverse planning, and spectral analysis. The United Stated Geological Survey, Astrogeology Science Center, continues to transition the...
Authors
Trent M. Hare, Randolph L. Kirk, Michael T. Bland, Donna M. Galuszka, Jason Laura, David Mayer, Bonnie L. Redding, Benjamin H Wheeler
The inevitability of large shallow craters on Callisto and Ganymede: Implications for crater depth-diameter trends The inevitability of large shallow craters on Callisto and Ganymede: Implications for crater depth-diameter trends
Complex craters with diameters (D) ≥ 40 km on Callisto and Ganymede are shallower than would be expected from simply extrapolating the depth-diameter trend from smaller (D ≤ 40 km) craters. This unusual depth-diameter (d-D) trend, and associated changes in crater morphology, have been hypothesized to result from rheological transitions, including the existence of an ocean, within the...
Authors
Michael T. Bland, Veronica Bray
Exploring the interior of Europa with the Europa Clipper Exploring the interior of Europa with the Europa Clipper
The Galileo mission to Jupiter revealed that Europa is an ocean world. The Galileo magnetometer experiment in particular provided strong evidence for a salty subsurface ocean beneath the ice shell, likely in contact with the rocky core. Within the ice shell and ocean, a number of tectonic and geodynamic processes may operate today or have operated at some point in the past, including...
Authors
James Roberts, William B. McKinnon, Catherine Elder, Gabriel Tobie, John Biersteker, Duncan Young, Ryan S. Park, Gregor Steinbrugge, Francis Nimmo, Samuel Howell, Julie C. Castillo-Rogez, Morgan Cable, Jacob Abrahams, Michael T. Bland, Chase Chivers, Corey Cochrane, Andrew Dombard, Carolyn M. Ernst, Antonio Genova, Christopher Gerekos, Christopher R. Glein, Camilla Harris, Hamish Hay, Paul O. Hayne, Matthew Hedman, Hauke Hussmann, Xianzhe Jia, Krishan Khurana, Walter Kiefer, Randolph L. Kirk, Margaret Kivelson, Justin D. Lawrence, Erin J. Leonard, Jonathan Lunine, Erwan Mazarico, Thomas B. McCord, Alfred S. McEwen, Carol Paty, Lynnae Quick, Carol A. Raymond, Kurt Retherford, Lorenz Roth, Abigail Rymer, Joachim Saur, Kirk Scanlan, Dustin Schroeder, David Senske, Wencheng Shao, Krista Soderlund, Elizabeth Spiers, Marshall Styczinski, Paolo Tortora, Steven Vance, Michaela Villarreal, Benjamin Weiss, Joseph Westlake, Paul Withers, Natalie Wolfenbarger, Bonnie J. Buratti, Haje Korth, Robert Pappalardo, Interior Thematic Working Group
Viscous relaxation of Oort and Edgeworth craters on Pluto: Possible indicators of an epoch of early high heat flow Viscous relaxation of Oort and Edgeworth craters on Pluto: Possible indicators of an epoch of early high heat flow
Impact craters, with their well-defined initial shapes, have proven useful as heat flow probes of a number of icy bodies, provided characteristics of viscous relaxation can be identified. For Pluto's numerous craters, such identifications are hampered/complicated by infilling and erosion by mobile volatile ices, but not in every case. Large craters offer relatively deep probes of...
Authors
W. B. McKinnon, Michael T. Bland, K. Singer, P. M. Schenk, S. Robbins
Non-USGS Publications**
Bland, M. T. 2013. Predicted crater morphologies on Ceres: Probing internal structure and evolution. Icarus, 226, 510-521.
Bland, M. T. and McKinnon, W. B., 2013. Does folding accommodate Europa’s contractional strain? The effect of surface temperature on fold formation in ice lithospheres. Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 2534-2538, doi:10.1002/grl.50506.
Bland, M. T., and McKinnon, W. B., 2012. Forming Europa’s folds: Strain requirements for the production of large-amplitude deformation. Icarus,221, 694-709.
Bland, M. T., Singer, K. S., McKinnon, W. B., and Schenk, P. M. 2012. Enceladus’ extreme heat flux as revealed by its relaxed craters. Geo. Res. Lett., 39, L17204, doi:10.1029/2012GL052736.
Bland, M. T., McKinnon, W. B., and Showman, A. P., 2010. The effects of strain localization on the formation of Ganymede’s grooved terrain. Icarus, 210, 396-410.
Bland, M. T., Showman, A. P., and Tobie, G., 2009. The orbital-thermal evolution and global expansion of Ganymede. Icarus, 200, 207-221.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.