Geomorphological evidence for ground ice on dwarf planet Ceres

Schmidt, B. E.; Hughson, K.; Chilton, H.; Scully, J. E. C.; Platz, Thomas; Nathues, A.; Sizemore, H. G.; Bland, M. T.; Byrne, Shane; Marchi, S.; O’Brien, D. P.; Schörghofer, N.; Hiesinger, H.; Jaumann, R.; Pasckert, J. H.; Lawrence, Justin; Buzckowski, Debra; Castillo‐Rogez, Julie; Sykes, M. V.; Schenk, P.; Desanctis, M.C.; Mitri, G.; Formisano, M.; Li, Jian‐Yang; Reddy, V.; Corre, Lucille Le; Russell, C. T.; Raymond, C. A.

doi:10.1038/ngeo2936

Cited by 89 publications

(211 citation statements)

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“…A wide range of landslide geomorphology, failure, and emplacement behavior is observed on Ceres. The classification of T1, T2, and T3 morphology has been previously investigated as an indicator of the styles of landslide emplacement (Hughson et al, ; Schmidt et al, ) and failure and movement of landslide debris (Chilton et al, ). However, we have observed notable outliers to this picture, such as landslides formed in contact craters and special locations like Juling crater.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Figure , we present H / L max values for the T1 and T2 features (Chilton et al, ; Schmidt et al, ), alongside those for the intermediate features described above and in Table , in which for these features we improved on our initial measurements by making several topographic profiles where possible of each feature to derive the best H max and L max values and computed averages (data available in Table S1 and Figure S1 of the supporting information). The ratio of H / L versus L is a first‐order comparison that has been used to test whether there is a relationship between the friction within a flow ( H / L ) and the lateral transport distance ( L ) of the landslide.…”

Section: Landslide Geometry and Mobilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Type 1 (T1) landslides are characterized by thick trunks and prominent distal toes, suggesting the occurrence of non‐Newtonian flow where the ice content is great enough (Schmidt et al, ) and are predominantly found above 50° latitude where shallow ice is stable. Broad, sheeted Type 2 (T2) flows are found across the surface but are concentrated below 50° latitude and have a much longer run‐out length than T1 flows suggesting they are mobilized by melted ice (Schmidt et al, ). Cuspate, sheeted flows designated as Type 3 (T3) landslides are found at middle to low latitudes either on the rims or within the ejecta blankets of young, large impacts, which suggests that these may actually be fluidized or fluidized ejecta (Schmidt et al, ; Hughson et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Broad, sheeted Type 2 (T2) flows are found across the surface but are concentrated below 50° latitude and have a much longer run‐out length than T1 flows suggesting they are mobilized by melted ice (Schmidt et al, ). Cuspate, sheeted flows designated as Type 3 (T3) landslides are found at middle to low latitudes either on the rims or within the ejecta blankets of young, large impacts, which suggests that these may actually be fluidized or fluidized ejecta (Schmidt et al, ; Hughson et al, ). Figure shows examples of all three canonical feature types.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Landslides on Ceres: Diversity and Geologic Context

et al. 2019

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Landslides are among the most widespread geologic features on Ceres. Using data from Dawn's Framing Camera, landslides were previously classified based upon geomorphologic characteristics into one of three archetypal categories, Type 1(T1), Type 2 (T2), and Type 3 (T3). Due to their geologic context, variation in age, and physical characteristics, most landslides on Ceres are, however, intermediate in their morphology and physical properties between the archetypes of each landslide class. Here we describe the varied morphology of individual intermediate landslides, identify geologic controls that contribute to this variation, and provide first‐order quantification of the physical properties of the continuum of Ceres's surface flows. These intermediate flows appear in varied settings and show a range of characteristics, including those found at contacts between craters, those having multiple trunks or lobes; showing characteristics of both T2 and T3 landslides; material slumping on crater rims; very small, ejecta‐like flows; and those appearing inside of catenae. We suggest that while their morphologies can vary, the distribution and mechanical properties of intermediate landslides do not differ significantly from that of archetypal landslides, confirming a link between landslides and subsurface ice. We also find that most intermediate landslides are similar to Type 2 landslides and formed by shallow failure. Clusters of these features suggest ice enhancement near Juling, Kupalo and Urvara craters. Since the majority of Ceres's landslides fall in the intermediate landslide category, placing their attributes in context contributes to a better understanding of Ceres's shallow subsurface and the nature of ground ice.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Landslide Geometry and Mobilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Landslides on Ceres: Diversity and Geologic Context

et al. 2019

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“…Their morphology and evolution are directly influenced by the properties of Ceres' upper layers, which seem to be composed of relatively mechanically strong constituents (Russell et al, ), such as a silicate‐rich rock‐ice mixture containing salt and clathrate hydrates, carbonates (Bland et al, ; De Sanctis et al, , ; Fu et al, ), and ammoniated phyllosilicates (De Sanctis et al, , Ammannito et al, ). However, there are a number of features suggesting the presence of water ice in Ceres' upper layers (Sizemore et al, ), such as lobate landslides (Schmidt et al, ), domical features (Ruesch et al, ), pitted terrains (Sizemore et al, ), and smooth long‐wavelength topography (Fu et al, ). The shallow subsurface may contain a maximum of 30–40% water ice by volume on average, although there is evidence of regional heterogeneity (Bland et al, ; Fu et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ceres Crater Degradation Inferred From Concentric Fracturing

et al. 2019

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The dwarf planet Ceres exhibits a collection of craters that possess concentric fractures beyond the crater rim. These fractures typically range from a few hundred meters to a few kilometers in length and are less than 300 m wide. They occur preferentially on elevated regions around the crater and are located less than a crater radius beyond the rim. In total there are 17 craters exhibiting concentric fracturing beyond the rim. They are located in the midlatitudes. The craters' diameters range between 20 and 270 km. We investigate the concentric fractures of three craters (Azacca, Ikapati, and Occator) in detail and suggest that the formation of such concentric fractures can be explained by a shallow (<10‐km) low‐viscosity (~1020‐Pa·s) subsurface layer extending underneath the crater and its surroundings. Finite element modeling of such a scenario applied to a typical concentrically fractured crater of 50‐km diameter implies that the depth of the low‐viscosity layer is comparable to the crater depth and the layer does not extend to the surface. Given that not every crater of comparable size on Ceres exhibits concentric fractures, it is also suggested that these conditions are only met locally and may be related to the surface temperature. Correlations of concentrically fractured craters with other volatile related features, such as pitted terrains and floor fracturing, suggest that the low‐viscosity subsurface layer may be enriched in ice.

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Pitted terrains on (1) Ceres and implications for shallow subsurface volatile distribution

Sizemore

Platz

Schörghofer

et al. 2017

Geophysical Research Letters

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Prior to the arrival of the Dawn spacecraft at Ceres, the dwarf planet was anticipated to be ice‐rich. Searches for morphological features related to ice have been ongoing during Dawn's mission at Ceres. Here we report the identification of pitted terrains associated with fresh Cerean impact craters. The Cerean pitted terrains exhibit strong morphological similarities to pitted materials previously identified on Mars (where ice is implicated in pit development) and Vesta (where the presence of ice is debated). We employ numerical models to investigate the formation of pitted materials on Ceres and discuss the relative importance of water ice and other volatiles in pit development there. We conclude that water ice likely plays an important role in pit development on Ceres. Similar pitted terrains may be common in the asteroid belt and may be of interest to future missions motivated by both astrobiology and in situ resource utilization.

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Geomorphological evidence for ground ice on dwarf planet Ceres

Cited by 89 publications

References 35 publications

Landslides on Ceres: Diversity and Geologic Context

Landslides on Ceres: Diversity and Geologic Context

Ceres Crater Degradation Inferred From Concentric Fracturing

Pitted terrains on (1) Ceres and implications for shallow subsurface volatile distribution

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