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
Dome formation on Ceres by sold-state flow analogous to terrestrial salt tectonics Dome formation on Ceres by sold-state flow analogous to terrestrial salt tectonics
The dwarf planet Ceres’s outer crust is a complex, heterogeneous mixture of ice, clathrates, salts and silicates. Numerous large domes on Ceres’s surface indicate a degree of geological activity. These domes have been attributed to cryovolcanism, but that is difficult to reconcile with Ceres’s small size and lack of long-lived heat sources. Here we alternatively propose that Ceres’s...
Authors
Michael T. Bland, D. L Buczkowski, H. G. Sizemore, A. I. Ermakov, S. D King, M. M. Sori, C. A. Raymond, J. C. Castillo-Rogez, C. T. Russell
The NASA Roadmap to Ocean Worlds The NASA Roadmap to Ocean Worlds
In this article, we summarize the work of the NASA Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG) Roadmaps to Ocean Worlds (ROW) group. The aim of this group is to assemble the scientific framework that will guide the exploration of ocean worlds, and to identify and prioritize science objectives for ocean worlds over the next several decades. The overarching goal of an Ocean Worlds exploration...
Authors
A. Noble Hendrix, T. Hurford, L.M. Barge, Michael T. Bland, J.S. Bowman, W. Brinckerhoff, B. J. Buratti, M. Cable, J. C. Castillo-Rogez, G. C. Collins, S. Diniega, C.R. German, A.G. Hayes, T.M. Hoehler, S. Mehran Hosseini, C. Howett, A.S. McEwen, C. Neish, M. Neveu, T.A. Nordheim, G.W. Patterson, Donald A. Patthoff, C. Phillips, A. Rhoden, B. Schmidt, K. Singer, J. M. Soderblom, S.D. Vance
Cryovolcanic rates on Ceres revealed by topography Cryovolcanic rates on Ceres revealed by topography
Cryovolcanism, defined here as the extrusion of icy material from depth, may be an important planetary phenomenon in shaping the surfaces of many worlds in the outer Solar System and revealing their thermal histories1,2,3. However, the physics, chemistry and ubiquity of this geologic process remain poorly understood, especially in comparison to the better-studied silicate volcanism on...
Authors
M. M. Sori, H. G. Sizemore, S. Byrne, A. M. Bramson, Michael T. Bland, N. T. Stein, C. T. Russell
Floor-fractured craters on Ceres and implications for interior processes Floor-fractured craters on Ceres and implications for interior processes
Several of the impact craters on Ceres have sets of fractures on their floors. These fractures appear similar to those found within a class of lunar craters referred to as floor-fractured craters (FFCs). We have cataloged the Ceres FFCs according to the classification scheme designed for the Moon. An analysis of the depth to diameter ratio for Ceres craters shows that, like lunar FFCs...
Authors
Debra L. Buczkowski, Hanna G. Sizemore, Michael T. Bland, Jennifer E. C. Scully, Lynnae C. Quick, Kynan H. G. Hughson, Ryan S. Park, F. Preusker, Carol A. Raymond, Christopher T. Russell
A new Enceladus global control network, image mosaic, and updated pointing kernels from Cassini's thirteen-year mission A new Enceladus global control network, image mosaic, and updated pointing kernels from Cassini's thirteen-year mission
NASA's Cassini spacecraft spent 13 years exploring the Saturn system, including 23 targeted flybys of the small, geologically active moon Enceladus. These flybys provided a wealth of image data from Cassini's Imaging Science Subsystem. To improve the usability of the Enceladus data set, we created a new, global photogrammetric control network for Enceladus that enabled compilation of a...
Authors
Michael T. Bland, Tammy L. Becker, Kenneth Edmundson, Thomas Roatsch, Brent A. Archinal, D. Takir, G. W. Patterson, G. C. Collins, P. M. Schenk, R. T. Pappalardo, Debbie Cook
Final Mimas and Enceladus atlases derived from Cassini-ISS images Final Mimas and Enceladus atlases derived from Cassini-ISS images
The Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) on-board Cassini took a few high-resolution images of the icy Saturnian satellites Mimas and Enceladus over the last seven years of the Cassini mission during non-targeted flybys. We used the new Mimas images to improve the existing semi-controlled mosaic of Mimas. A new controlled Enceladus mosaic was published recently (Bland et al., 2015; Bland et...
Authors
Thomas Roatsch, E. Kersten, K.-D. Matz, Michael T. Bland, Tammy L. Becker, Gerald Wesley Patterson, C. Porco
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
Dome formation on Ceres by sold-state flow analogous to terrestrial salt tectonics Dome formation on Ceres by sold-state flow analogous to terrestrial salt tectonics
The dwarf planet Ceres’s outer crust is a complex, heterogeneous mixture of ice, clathrates, salts and silicates. Numerous large domes on Ceres’s surface indicate a degree of geological activity. These domes have been attributed to cryovolcanism, but that is difficult to reconcile with Ceres’s small size and lack of long-lived heat sources. Here we alternatively propose that Ceres’s...
Authors
Michael T. Bland, D. L Buczkowski, H. G. Sizemore, A. I. Ermakov, S. D King, M. M. Sori, C. A. Raymond, J. C. Castillo-Rogez, C. T. Russell
The NASA Roadmap to Ocean Worlds The NASA Roadmap to Ocean Worlds
In this article, we summarize the work of the NASA Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG) Roadmaps to Ocean Worlds (ROW) group. The aim of this group is to assemble the scientific framework that will guide the exploration of ocean worlds, and to identify and prioritize science objectives for ocean worlds over the next several decades. The overarching goal of an Ocean Worlds exploration...
Authors
A. Noble Hendrix, T. Hurford, L.M. Barge, Michael T. Bland, J.S. Bowman, W. Brinckerhoff, B. J. Buratti, M. Cable, J. C. Castillo-Rogez, G. C. Collins, S. Diniega, C.R. German, A.G. Hayes, T.M. Hoehler, S. Mehran Hosseini, C. Howett, A.S. McEwen, C. Neish, M. Neveu, T.A. Nordheim, G.W. Patterson, Donald A. Patthoff, C. Phillips, A. Rhoden, B. Schmidt, K. Singer, J. M. Soderblom, S.D. Vance
Cryovolcanic rates on Ceres revealed by topography Cryovolcanic rates on Ceres revealed by topography
Cryovolcanism, defined here as the extrusion of icy material from depth, may be an important planetary phenomenon in shaping the surfaces of many worlds in the outer Solar System and revealing their thermal histories1,2,3. However, the physics, chemistry and ubiquity of this geologic process remain poorly understood, especially in comparison to the better-studied silicate volcanism on...
Authors
M. M. Sori, H. G. Sizemore, S. Byrne, A. M. Bramson, Michael T. Bland, N. T. Stein, C. T. Russell
Floor-fractured craters on Ceres and implications for interior processes Floor-fractured craters on Ceres and implications for interior processes
Several of the impact craters on Ceres have sets of fractures on their floors. These fractures appear similar to those found within a class of lunar craters referred to as floor-fractured craters (FFCs). We have cataloged the Ceres FFCs according to the classification scheme designed for the Moon. An analysis of the depth to diameter ratio for Ceres craters shows that, like lunar FFCs...
Authors
Debra L. Buczkowski, Hanna G. Sizemore, Michael T. Bland, Jennifer E. C. Scully, Lynnae C. Quick, Kynan H. G. Hughson, Ryan S. Park, F. Preusker, Carol A. Raymond, Christopher T. Russell
A new Enceladus global control network, image mosaic, and updated pointing kernels from Cassini's thirteen-year mission A new Enceladus global control network, image mosaic, and updated pointing kernels from Cassini's thirteen-year mission
NASA's Cassini spacecraft spent 13 years exploring the Saturn system, including 23 targeted flybys of the small, geologically active moon Enceladus. These flybys provided a wealth of image data from Cassini's Imaging Science Subsystem. To improve the usability of the Enceladus data set, we created a new, global photogrammetric control network for Enceladus that enabled compilation of a...
Authors
Michael T. Bland, Tammy L. Becker, Kenneth Edmundson, Thomas Roatsch, Brent A. Archinal, D. Takir, G. W. Patterson, G. C. Collins, P. M. Schenk, R. T. Pappalardo, Debbie Cook
Final Mimas and Enceladus atlases derived from Cassini-ISS images Final Mimas and Enceladus atlases derived from Cassini-ISS images
The Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) on-board Cassini took a few high-resolution images of the icy Saturnian satellites Mimas and Enceladus over the last seven years of the Cassini mission during non-targeted flybys. We used the new Mimas images to improve the existing semi-controlled mosaic of Mimas. A new controlled Enceladus mosaic was published recently (Bland et al., 2015; Bland et...
Authors
Thomas Roatsch, E. Kersten, K.-D. Matz, Michael T. Bland, Tammy L. Becker, Gerald Wesley Patterson, C. Porco
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.