Space instrumentation

Research group

Research theme

Sub department

About

Simulating weathering of basalt on Mars and Earth by thermal cycling

Geophysical Research Letters 37:18 (2010)

Authors:

H Viles, B Ehlmann, CF Wilson, T Cebula, M Page, M Bourke

Abstract:

Physical weathering induced by heating and cooling may cause rock breakdown on Mars and Earth. We report results from parallel weathering simulations on basalt blocks exposed to diurnal cycles representing Mars-like (two simulation runs from -55 to +20 oC and -75 to +10 oC, 1-100% relative humidity, 4-8 mbar pressure, CO2 atmosphere) and hot arid Earth (23-72o C, 30-100% relative humidity) conditions. Under Earth conditions, thermally pre-stressed blocks showed measurable strength declines, whilst salt pre-treated blocks showed strength gains. Under Mars-like conditions, pre-stressed blocks recorded greater or similar strength declines and salt pre-treated blocks showed more muted strength declines than under Earth conditions. The results imply that on Earth and Mars diurnal cycling of temperature alone can cause deterioration of basalt with a pre-existing stress history. The type of stress history is important, with salt pre-treatment affecting the response of thermally pre-stressed blocks under both Earth and Mars conditions. Copyright © 2010 by the American Geophysical Union.
More details from the publisher
More details

The Gemini NICI Planet-Finding Campaign

(2010)

Authors:

Michael C Liu, Zahed Wahhaj, Beth A Biller, Eric L Nielsen, Mark Chun, Laird M Close, Christ Ftaclas, Markus Hartung, Thomas L Hayward, Fraser Clarke, I Neill Reid, Evgenya L Shkolnik, Matthias Tecza, Niranjan Thatte, Silvia Alencar, Pawel Artymowicz, Alan Boss, Adam Burrows, Elisabethe de Gouveia Dal Pino, Jane Gregorio-Hetem, Shigeru Ida, Marc J Kuchner, Douglas Lin, Douglas Toomey
More details from the publisher

Adaptive optics systems for HARMONI: a visible and near-infrared integral field spectrograph for the E-ELT

Proceedings of SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engineering SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics 7736 (2010) 773633-773633-12

Authors:

Thierry Fusco, Niranjan Thatte, Serge Meimon, Matthias Tecza, Fraser Clarke, Mark Swinbank
More details from the publisher

Coronagraphic capability for HARMONI at the E-ELT

Proceedings of SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engineering SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics 7735 (2010) 773589-773589-11

Authors:

Szymon Gladysz, Niranjan A Thatte, Fraser Clarke, Mathias Tecza, Graeme S Salter
More details from the publisher

HARMONI: a single-field wide-band integral-field spectrograph for the European ELT

Proceedings of SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engineering SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics 7735 (2010) 77352i-77352i-11

Authors:

Niranjan Thatte, Mathias Tecza, Fraser Clarke, Roger L Davies, Alban Remillieux, Roland Bacon, David Lunney, Santiago Arribas, Evencio Mediavilla, Fernando Gago, Naidu Bezawada, Pierre Ferruit, Ana Fragoso, David Freeman, Javier Fuentes, Thierry Fusco, Angus Gallie, Adolfo Garcia, Timothy Goodsall, Felix Gracia, Aurelien Jarno, Johan Kosmalski, James Lynn, Stuart McLay, David Montgomery, Arlette Pecontal, Hermine Schnetler, Harry Smith, Dario Sosa, Giuseppina Battaglia, Neil Bowles, Luis Colina, Eric Emsellem, Ana Garcia-Perez, Szymon Gladysz, Isobel Hook, Patrick Irwin, Matt Jarvis, Robert Kennicutt, Andrew Levan, Andy Longmore, John Magorrian, Mark McCaughrean, Livia Origlia, Rafael Rebolo, Dimitra Rigopoulou, Sean Ryan, Mark Swinbank, Nial Tanvir, Eline Tolstoy, Aprajita Verma
More details from the publisher
More details