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A lunar chronology function to enhance future sample-return missions to the Moon
A lunar chronology function to enhance future sample-return missions to the Moon
Future missions to the Moon, including Artemis III, will bring back rock samples of the oldest regions of the Moon. The measured age of the samples will serve as the oldest calibration point of the lunar chronology function, which relates the number of craters in a region of the Moon to its absolute age. In preparation to the return of these samples, we build on to previous lunar chronology functions and take into account the likely state of equilibrium for craters > 1 km at highland regions, effect of prior model choices, and uncertainties in crater counting and age measurements.
Distribution of volatiles on the lunar south pole
Distribution of volatiles on the lunar south pole
Several regions on the south pole of the Moon are sufficiently cold to host water ice. However, the exact distribution of the ice is not known because different factors (e.g. porosity, surface roughness) affect the signals detected by remote sensing methods. We compare previously proposed distributions of ice from radar data with gravity acceleration maps to assess the effect of porosity variations on ice detection.
Distribution of magmatic intrusions on the lunar crust
Distribution of magmatic intrusions on the lunar crust
Manuscript in prep
Magmatic intrusions are deposits of melt that didn't reach the surface. Their total volume reveals information about the thermal evolution of the Moon, however, this volume estimate is difficult to obtain because volume is not directly related to any surface feature of the Moon. We use the correlation between gravity and topography data to infer an upper limit of this volume and find a high upper limit.
Global distribution of visible and hidden volcanism on the Moon
Global distribution of visible and hidden volcanism on the Moon
Using a spectral function of the gravity and topography of the Moon, we constrain the global distribution of volcanic material. This approach is robust to material that has been previously buried by ejecta material because it relies on identifying the higher density signal of the mare, rather than using a visual inspection of material exposed at the surface. We find extensive hidden mare.
Growth of the Mars polar cap in the past 5 Myr
Growth of the Mars polar cap in the past 5 Myr
We infer the ice accumulation and sublimation rates that fit the migration path of polar spiral troughs of Mars, as recorded in the subsurface ice. The accumulation rates consistent with the data, for two adjacent troughs, is lower than previously proposed.
Shallow porosity structure of the Moon
Shallow porosity structure of the Moon
We find that the gravity signal of impact craters on the Moon points towards the existence of a porosity boundary at 3-5 km depth. This is most likely the boundary between the large-scale basin ejecta layer and the layer of material uplifted by crater collapse, layers of the lunar megaregolith.
3D density anomalies of the Moon from Bayesian gravity inversion
3D density anomalies of the Moon from Bayesian gravity inversion
We developed a gravity inversion method called THeBOOGIe to infer 3-D density anomalies on spherical bodies. This method is able to use flexible priors and provides uncertainty information on the output density model. We test the method with lunar-like synthetic data and results show that it has the potential to detect density anomalies in the lunar mantle.
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