Landslides in the Solar System

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Teresa Brunetti ◽  
Silvia Peruccacci
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Slope Failure ◽  
Visual Analysis ◽  
Planetary Science ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Mass Movements ◽  
Submarine Landslides ◽  
Forthcoming Article ◽  
Landslide Mass ◽  
Solid Bodies

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Planetary Science. Please check back later for the full article. Landslides are gravity-driven mass movements of rock, earth, or debris. All of these surface processes occur under the influence of gravity, meaning that they globally move material from higher to lower places. Outside Earth, these structures were first observed in a lunar crater during the Apollo program, but mass movements have been spotted on several rocky worlds (solid bodies) in the solar system, including icy satellites, asteroids, and comets. On Earth, landslides have the effect of shaping the landscape more or less rapidly, leaving a signature that is recognised through field surveys and visual analysis, or automatic identification, on aerial photographs or satellite images. Landslides observed on Earth and in solid bodies of the solar system are of different types on the basis of their movement and the material involved in the failure. Material is either rock or soil (or both) with a variable fraction of water or ice; a soil mainly composed of sand-sized or finer particles is referred to as earth, while it is called debris if composed of coarse fragments. The landslide mass may be displaced in several types of movement, classified generically as falling, toppling, sliding, spreading, or flowing. Such diverse characteristics mean that the size of a landslide (e.g., area, volume, fall height, length) can vary widely. For example, on Earth, their areas range up to eleven orders of magnitude, while their volumes vary by eighteen orders, from small rock fragments to huge submarine landslides. The classification of extraterrestrial landslides is based on terrestrial analogs, which have similarities and characteristics that resemble those found on the planetary body. This morphological classification is made regardless of the geomorphological environment or processes that may have triggered the slope failure. Comparing landslide characteristics on various planetary bodies helps to understand the effect of surface gravity on landslide initiation and propagation, which can be of tremendous importance when designing manned and unmanned missions with landings on extraterrestrial bodies. Regardless of the practical applications of such study, knowing the morphology and surface dynamics that shape solid bodies in the space surrounding the Earth is something that has fascinated the human imagination since the time of Galileo.

Trans-Neptunian Dwarf Planets

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Holler
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Surface Composition ◽  
Planetary Science ◽  
Chemical Diversity ◽  
Asteroid Belt ◽  
Dynamical Structure ◽  
Forthcoming Article ◽  
Cold Temperatures ◽  
Dwarf Planets ◽  
Physical And Chemical

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Planetary Science. Please check back later for the full article. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) officially recognizes five objects as dwarf planets: Ceres in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter; and Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake in the trans-Neptunian region beyond the orbit of Neptune. However, the definition used by the IAU applies to many other trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) and can be summarized as any nonsatellite large enough to be rounded by its own gravity. Practically speaking, this means any nonsatellite with a diameter >400 km. In the trans-Neptunian region, there are more than 100 objects that satisfy this definition, based on published results and diameter estimates. The dynamical structure of the trans-Neptunian region records the migration history of the giant planets in the early days of the solar system. The semi-major axes, eccentricities, and orbital inclinations of TNOs across various dynamical classes provide constraints on different aspects of planetary migration. For many TNOs, the orbital parameters are all that is known about them, due to their large distances, small sizes, and low albedos. The TNO dwarf planets are a different story. These objects are large enough to be studied in more detail from ground- and space-based observatories. Imaging observations can be used to detect satellites and measure surface colors, while spectroscopy can be used to constrain surface composition. In this way, TNO dwarf planets not only help provide context for the dynamical evolution of the outer solar system, but also reveal the composition of the primordial solar nebula as well as the physical and chemical processes at work at very cold temperatures. The largest TNO dwarf planets, those officially recognized by the IAU, plus others such as Sedna, Quaoar, and Gonggong, are large enough to support volatile ices on their surfaces in the present day. These ices are able to exist as solids and gases on some TNOs, due to their sizes and surface temperatures (similar to water ice on Earth) and include N2 (nitrogen), CH4 (methane), and CO (carbon monoxide). A global atmosphere composed of these three species has been detected around Pluto, the largest TNO dwarf planet, with the possibility of local atmospheres or global atmospheres at perihelion for Eris and Makemake. The presence of nonvolatile species, such as H2O (water), NH3 (ammonia), and organics provide valuable information on objects that may be too small to retain volatile ices over the age of the solar system. In particular, large quantities of H2O mixed with NH3 points to ancient cryovolcanism caused by internal differentiation of ice from rock. Organic material, formed through radiation processing of surface ices such as CH4, records the radiation histories of these objects as well as providing clues to their primordial surface compositions. The dynamical, physical, and chemical diversity of the >100 TNO dwarf planets are key to understanding the formation of the solar system and subsequent evolution to its current state. Most of our knowledge comes from a small handful of objects, but we are continually expanding our horizons as additional objects are studied in more detail.

scholarly journals Characteristics and Distribution of Landslides in the Populated Hillslopes of Bujumbura, Burundi

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 259
Author(s):  
Désiré Kubwimana ◽  
Lahsen Ait Brahim ◽  
Pascal Nkurunziza ◽  
Antoine Dille ◽  
Arthur Depicker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Slope Failure ◽  
Visual Analysis ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
Reduction Strategies ◽  
Landslide Processes ◽  
Risk Reduction Strategies

Accurate and detailed multitemporal inventories of landslides and their process characterization are crucial for the evaluation of landslide hazards and the implementation of disaster risk reduction strategies in densely-populated mountainous regions. Such investigations are, however, rare in many regions of the tropical African highlands, where landslide research is often in its infancy and not adapted to the local needs. Here, we have produced a comprehensive multitemporal investigation of the landslide processes in the hillslopes of Bujumbura, situated in the landslide-prone East African Rift. We inventoried more than 1200 landslides by combining careful field investigation and visual analysis of satellite images, very-high-resolution topographic data, and historical aerial photographs. More than 20% of the hillslopes of the city are affected by landslides. Recent landslides (post-1950s) are mostly shallow, triggered by rainfall, and located on the steepest slopes. The presence of roads and river quarrying can also control their occurrence. Deep-seated landslides typically concentrate in landscapes that have been rejuvenated through knickpoint retreat. The difference in size distributions between old and recent deep-seated landslides suggests the long-term influence of potentially changing slope-failure drivers. Of the deep-seated landslides, 66% are currently active, those being mostly earthflows connected to the river system. Gully systems causing landslides are commonly associated with the urbanization of the hillslopes. Our results provide a much more accurate record of landslide processes and their impacts in the region than was previously available. These insights will be useful for land management and disaster risk reduction strategies.

Terrestrial Analogs to Planetary Volcanic Processes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Mouginis-Mark ◽  
Lionel Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Planetary Science ◽  
Lava Flows ◽  
Forthcoming Article ◽  
Shield Volcanoes ◽  
System P ◽  
Volcanic Processes ◽  
Topographic Characteristics ◽  
Solar System Exploration ◽  
Spacecraft Data

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Planetary Science. Please check back later for the full article. More than 50 years of solar system exploration has revealed the great diversity of volcanic landscapes beyond the Earth, be they formed by molten rock, liquid water, or other volatile species. Classic examples of giant shield volcanoes, solidified lava flows, extensive ash deposits, and volcanic vents can all be identified but, with the exception of eruptions seen on the Jovian moon Io, none of these planetary volcanoes have been observed in eruption. Consequently, the details of the processes that created these landscapes must be inferred from the available spacecraft data. Despite the increasing improvement in the spatial, temporal, compositional, and topographic characteristics of the data for planetary volcanoes, details of the manner in which they formed are not clear. However, terrestrial eruptions can provide numerous insights into planetary eruptions, whether they result in the emplacement of lava flows, explosive eruptions due to volatiles in the magma, or the interaction between hot lava and water or ice. In recent decades, growing attention has therefore been directed at the use of terrestrial analogs to help interpret volcanic landforms and processes on the terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, the Moon, and Mars) and in the outer solar system (the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, the larger asteroids, and potentially Pluto). In addition, terrestrial analogs not only provide insights into the geologic processes associated with volcanism, but they can also serve as test sites for the development of instrumentation to be sent to other worlds, as well as serve as a training ground for manned and unmanned explorers seeking to better understand volcanism throughout the solar system.

scholarly journals Search for water and life's building blocks in the Universe

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (A29B) ◽  
pp. 375-375
Author(s):  
Sun Kwok ◽  
Edwin Bergin ◽  
Pascale Ehrenfreund
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Kuiper Belt ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Planetary Science ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Outer Solar System ◽  
Water Ice ◽  
Solar System Bodies ◽  
Solid Bodies

Water is the common ground between astronomy and planetary science as the presence of water on a planet is universally accepted as essential for its potential habitability. Water assists many biological chemical reactions leading to complexity by acting as an effective solvent. It shapes the geology and climate on rocky planets, and is a major or primary constituent of the solid bodies of the outer solar system. Water ice seems universal in space and is by far the most abundant condensed-phase species in our universe. Water-rich icy layers cover dust particles within the cold regions of the interstellar medium and molecular ices are widespread in the solar system. The poles of terrestrial planets (e.g. Earth, Mars) and most of the outer-solar-system satellites are covered with ice. Smaller solar system bodies, such as comets and Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs), contain a significant fraction of water ice and trace amounts of organics. Beneath the ice crust of several moons of Jupiter and Saturn liquid water oceans probably exist.

scholarly journals Morphology of small-scale submarine mass movement events across the northwest United Kingdom

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gareth Carter ◽  
Rhys Cooper ◽  
Joana Gafeira ◽  
John Howe ◽  
David Long
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Slope Failure ◽  
Mass Movement ◽  
Morphometric Parameters ◽  
Single Type ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mass Movements ◽  
Submarine Landslides ◽  
Coastal Inlets

<p>Given the potentially devastating consequences of shallow submarine landslides on infrastructure and human lives, it is imperative that we understand potential slope stability issues within marine coastal regions. In Scottish waters, our lack of knowledge regarding the nature of the seabed within the fjords and coastal inlets is concerning given that these sea lochs have similar morphological features and settings to global examples (e.g. Norway) where recent slope failures have had such highly devastating results. Global examples from similar physiographic settings also demonstrate the temporal aspect of these events, highlighting that they are caused by active modern processes and therefore represent contemporary geohazards. In addition, previous studies have highlighted that there tends to be a scale bias towards the mapping and reporting of large-scale events, and there is a requirement for studies that focus on small-scale (≤1 km<sup>3</sup>) mass movements which can still have damaging consequences on seafloor and coastal (both nearshore and onshore) infrastructure.</p><p>In this study, a review of multibeam echo sounder (MBES) survey datasets from five locations around the United Kingdom northwest coast has led to the identification of a total of 14 separate submarine mass movement scars and deposits within the fjords (sea lochs) and coastal inlets of mainland Scotland, and the channels between the islands of the Inner Hebrides. In these areas, Quaternary sediment deposition was dominated by glacial and glaciomarine processes. Analysis of the morphometric parameters of each submarine mass movement has revealed that they fall into four distinct groups of subaqueous landslides; Singular Slumps, Singular Translational, Multiple Single-Type, and Complex (translational & rotational) failures. The Singular Slump Group includes discrete, individual subaqueous slumps that exhibit no evidence of modification through the merging of several scars. The Singular Translational Group comprise a single slide that displays characteristics associated with a single translational (planar) failure with no merging of multiple events. The Multiple Single-Type Group incorporates scars and deposits that displayed morphometric features consistent with the amalgamation of several failure events of the same type (e.g. debris flows or slumps). Finally, the Complex (translational & rotational) Group comprises landslides that exhibited complex styles of failures, including both translational and rotational mechanisms controlling the same slide. The submarine mass movements that comprise this dataset are then discussed in relation to global fjordic and glaciomarine nearshore settings, and slope failure trigger mechanisms associated with these environments are described with tentative links to individual submarine landslides from the database, where appropriate. It is acknowledged that additional MBES data are needed not only to expand this database but also to create a more statistically robust study. However, this initial study provides the basis for a much wider investigation of submarine mass movements and correlations between their morphometric parameters.</p>

PLANETARY SCIENCE: How Neptune Pushed the Boundaries of Our Solar System

Science ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 306 (5700) ◽  
pp. 1302-1304 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Morbidelli
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Planetary Science

scholarly journals The evolution of slope failures: mechanisms of rupture propagation

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. N. Petley
Keyword(s):  
Slope Failure ◽  
Complex Stress ◽  
Basal Region ◽  
Rupture Propagation ◽  
Slope Failures ◽  
Stress Regime ◽  
Detailed Surface ◽  
Landslide Mass ◽  
Region Data ◽  
Detailed Assessment

Abstract. Forecasting the occurrence of large, catastrophic slope failures remains very problematic. It is clear that in order advance this field a greater understanding is needed of the processes through which failure occurs. In particular, there is a need to comprehend the processes through which a rupture develops and propagates through the slope, and the nature of the inter-relationship between the stress and strain states of the landslide mass. To this end, a detailed analysis has been undertaken of the movement records for the Selborme Cutting slope failure, in which failure was deliberately triggered through pore pressure elevation. The data demonstrate that it is possible to determine the processes occurring in the basal region of the landslide, and thus controlling the movement of the mass, from the surface movement patterns. In particular, it is clear that the process of rupture development and propagation has a unique signature, allowing the development of the rupture to be traced from detailed surface monitoring. For landslides undergoing first time failure through rupture propagation, this allows the prediction of the time of failure as per the "Saito" approach. It is shown that for such predictions to be reliable, data from a number of points across the landslide mass are needed. Interestingly, due to the complex stress regime in that region, data from the crown may not be appropriate for failure prediction. Based upon these results, the application of new techniques for the detailed assessment of spatial patterns of the development of strain may potentially allow a new insight into the development of rupture surfaces and may ultimately permit forecasting of the temporal occurrence of failure.

Assembling aliens to explore the Solar System

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catarina Leote ◽  
Sérgio Pereira ◽  
João Retrê ◽  
Pedro Machado ◽  
Gabriella Gilli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Planetary Science ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Board Game ◽  
Whole Process ◽  
Informal Educators ◽  
Low Exposure ◽  
Challenging Situation

<p><strong>Assembling aliens to explore the Solar System</strong></p> <p>After analysing the school curricula until 7th grade (13 years old), we concluded that, at least in Portugal, there is a limited coverage of astronomy subjects. This situation is also often accompanied by limited training of primary and medium school teachers and limited availability of resources in their mother tongues, as language can also be a barrier for the use of existing resources. In addition, some astronomy concepts require a level of abstract thinking that might be discouraging for some children. The end result is that some children will have a low interest in astronomy, not only because of their personal preferences but as a consequence of low exposure to the subject or a negative perception towards it. To address this situation, the Science Communication Group of Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA) developed a board game about the Solar System, aimed at children from 6 to 12 years old, and adapted to both formal and informal educational contexts. This project, “Help your Alien – A Solar System Game”, was funded in 2019 by the Europlanet Society through its Public Engagement Funding Scheme.</p> <p><strong>Why a board game?</strong></p> <p>By opting for a board game instead of a digital platform, we made the conscious decision of valuing the power of storytelling and social interaction as engaging and focus-promoting learning strategies, unlike the information and stimuli overload sometimes present in digital environments. Another choice made to make the game as appealing and relatable to our target public as possible was to start with a more familiar perspective, biology, as children of this age group will certainly be familiar with “animals” and their characteristics. We made a leap forward towards astrobiology, and created imaginary aliens somehow adapted to their planets and moons. While trying to assemble these imaginary creatures, in a 3-piece puzzle, the game players have to gather information about different objects of the Solar System and discover the home planet of their assembled aliens.  Another reason for creating a board game was the possibility of reaching different publics, in particular those perhaps not immediately interested in astronomy. With “ET – A Solar System Adventure”, we hope to engage children but also their families (parents, grandparents, siblings…), just for the sake of playing, while exposing them to knowledge about the Solar System.</p> <p><strong>Development of the game</strong></p> <p>The game was developed in a collaborative creative process by members of the Science Communication Group and researchers in Planetary Sciences of the IA, combining knowledge in science communication and different publics with scientific knowledge. Even though the game mechanics was inspired in already existing and well-tested games, the whole process of creating this game involved many challenges, from defining the level of complexity while keeping the game engaging, to the adventure of “creating” aliens somehow physiologically adapted to different planets and moons of the Solar System. Mistakes were made and the team had to adapt to the unexpected challenging situation of a pandemic. This resulted in many lessons learned that we hope to share with the community. The game is now at its final stages of production, with the prototype being converted into a polished version with professional illustration and design. A “Print and Play” version in Portuguese and English will soon be made available online on our website. Physical copies will also be produced depending on funding.</p> <p>In our presentation, we will present our game, as well as the premises and goals behind it, its development process, the challenges found along the way, the lessons learned and some strategies to cope with the “new normality” imposed by Covid-19, while advancing the project. We hope the presentation of “ET – A Solar System Adventure” in the EPSC2021 will help to promote this tool for planetary science education among formal and informal educators and to find international collaborations for the translation and local promotion of the game, as well as additional funding for the production of physical copies in different languages.</p>

Gaia spectroscopic view of the asteroid main belt and beyond

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Delbo ◽  
Laurent Galluccio ◽  
Francesca De Angeli ◽  
Paolo Tanga ◽  
Alberto Cellino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Preliminary Investigation ◽  
Planetary Science ◽  
Reflectance Spectra ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Main Belt ◽  
Compositional Gradient ◽  
Solar System Object ◽  
Science Community

<div class="">Asteroids reflectance spectra in the visible light will be one of the novel products of the Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3). These spectra are produced from Gaia observations obtained by means of the blue and red photometers — the so-called BP and RP, respectively. We will review the strategy adopted to produce asteroid reflectance spectra from BP-RP data, focusing on the choice of spectro-photometric calibrations computed taking into account solar system object astrometry and suitable lists of solar-analog stars.</div> <div class=""> </div> <div class="">Our preliminary investigation shows that we will be able to obtain reflectance spectra for asteroids as small as some km in the main belt, by exploiting the fact that each object has been observed multiple times by Gaia. We will show the capability of Gaia to probe the detailed compositional gradient of the main belt down to small sizes and to study correlations between spectral classes and other asteroid physical parameters, such as albedo and size.</div> <div class=""> </div> <div class="">Concerning the brightest asteroids, we expect to have substantial signal at wavelengths shorter than 450 nm, allowing Gaia to examine this region of the spectrum that has been poorly investigated by ground-based asteroid spectroscopic surveys. This region is characterised by the presence of a reflectance downturn that is diagnostic for the composition of classes of primitive asteroids, for instance those including the parent bodies of carbonaceous chondrites. These asteroids may have played an important role for the delivery of prebiotic compounds to Earth during the early phases of solar system' s history and, as such, are at the center of attention of the planetary science community. </div>

scholarly journals Factoring Origin of Life Hypotheses into the Search for Life in the Solar System and Beyond

Life ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Longo ◽  
Bruce Damer
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Hot Springs ◽  
Planetary Science ◽  
Icy Moons ◽  
Alternative Hypotheses ◽  
Biochemical Mechanisms ◽  
Early Mars ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
Detection Strategies

Two widely-cited alternative hypotheses propose geological localities and biochemical mechanisms for life’s origins. The first states that chemical energy available in submarine hydrothermal vents supported the formation of organic compounds and initiated primitive metabolic pathways which became incorporated in the earliest cells; the second proposes that protocells self-assembled from exogenous and geothermally-delivered monomers in freshwater hot springs. These alternative hypotheses are relevant to the fossil record of early life on Earth, and can be factored into the search for life elsewhere in the Solar System. This review summarizes the evidence supporting and challenging these hypotheses, and considers their implications for the search for life on various habitable worlds. It will discuss the relative probability that life could have emerged in environments on early Mars, on the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and also the degree to which prebiotic chemistry could have advanced on Titan. These environments will be compared to ancient and modern terrestrial analogs to assess their habitability and biopreservation potential. Origins of life approaches can guide the biosignature detection strategies of the next generation of planetary science missions, which could in turn advance one or both of the leading alternative abiogenesis hypotheses.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document