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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1975

An evaluation of Skylab (EREP) remote sensing techniques applied to investigations of crustal structure

The author has identified the following significant results. Film positives (70mm) from all six S190A multispectral photographic camera stations for any one scene can be registered and analyzed in a color additive viewer. Using a multispectral viewer, S190A and B films can be projected directly onto published geologic and topographic maps at scales as large as 1:62,500 and 1:24,000 without significant loss of detail. S190A films and prints permit the detection of faults, fractures, and other linear features not visible in any other space imagery. S192 MSS imagery can be useful for rock-type discrimination studies and delineation of linear patterns and arcuate anomalies. Anomalous color reflectances and arcuate color patterns revealed mineralized zones, copper deposits, vegetation, and volcanic rocks in various locations such as Panamint Range (CA), Greenwater (Death Valley), Lava Mountains (CA), northwestern Arizona, and Coso Hot Springs (CA).

Bechtold, I. C.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Strain buildup and release, earthquake prediction and selection of VLB sites for the margins of the North Pacific

Microearthquake studies of the southern section of the San Andreas fault system were conducted in order to elucidate the role of known but little studied complications in the fault system which could affect the SAFE measurement. Data reduction from microearthquake studies in Baja California, Mexico, was completed. In addition, styles of deformation on the Alpine fault in New Zealand and on the San Andreas fault were compared. Sections of these faults with comparable physical characteristics seem to deform in a similar manner, indicating that deformation style is controlled by certain fundamental relations and will continue in the future. The geology of eastern New Guinea is also discussed. Deformation in the area is proposed to be related to collision of a series of island arcs with central New Guinea, which is part of the Australian continent. Among other unusual properties, eastern New Guinea contains the highest anomaly of the gravimetrically determined geoid based on GEM 6 and surface gravity data.

Scholz, C. H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Evolution of southern Caribbean plate boundary, vicinity of Trinidad and Tobago

The tectonic evolution of the southeastern corner of the Caribbean is examined, using field data from the El Pilar fault zone of Trinidad and offshore seismic data. It is found that the dominant process in the region's tectonic evolution is strike-slip motion on at least five major fault systems in a 250-km wide east-west-trending plate-boundary zone extending from Grenada in the north to the Orinoco River in the south. The geological effects of this evolution over the past 30 m y are described.

Robertson, Paul↗
NASA NTRS1998

Warrego Valles and Other Candidate Sites of Local Hydrothermal Activity Within The Thaumasia Region, Mars

We have previously demonstrated for the Thaumasia region of Mars that: (1) valley formation peaked during the Noachian and declined substantially during the Hesperian and Amazonian Periods and (2) valleys, many of which form networking systems, largely occur near volcanoes, highly faulted terrains, and large impact craters of similar age, thus suggesting hydrothermal activity. In Tanaka et al, the various hypotheses for valley formation on Mars are presented, and a geologic explanation for valley erosion in the Thaumasia region is given that "best fits" the region's geographic and geologic datasets. That comprehensive GIS-based investigation suggests that hydrothermal and seismic activity were the primary causes of valley formation in the Thaumasia region; the data make widespread precipitation less likely as a major factor in valley formation, except perhaps during the Early Noachian, for which much of the geologic record has been destroyed. Based on the reconstruction of the stratigraphic, tectonic, volcanic, and erosional histories and the close association of valleys in time and space with Noachian to Early Hesperian volcanoes and rift systems and Hesperian to Early Amazonian impact craters less than 50 km in diameter, we propose 13 sites of hydrothermal activity within the Thaumasia region; these are the best examples of valleys associated with these geologic features, but there are other less pronounced correlations elsewhere in the region.

Dohm, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Natural resources inventory and monitoring in Oregon with ERTS imagery

Multidiscipline team interpretation of ERTS satellite and highflight imagery is providing resource and land use information needed for land use planning in Oregon. A coordinated inventory of geology, soil-landscapes, forest and range vegetation, and land use for Crook County, illustrates the value of this approach for broad area and state planning. Other applications include mapping fault zones, inventory of forest clearcut areas, location of forest insect damage, and monitoring irrigation development. Computer classification is being developed for use in conjunction with visual interpretation.

Simonson, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Pahranagat Shear System, Lincoln County, Nevada

The author has identified the following significant results. A structural model which relates strike-slip deformation to Basin Range extensional tectonics was formulated on the basis of analysis and interpreatation of ERTS-1 MSS imagery over southern Lincoln County, Nevada. Study of published geologic data and field reconnaissance of key areas has been conducted to support the ERTS-1 data interpretation. The structural model suggests that a left-lateral strike-slip fault zone, called the Pahranagat Shear System, formed as a transform fault separating two areas of east-west structural extension.

Liggett, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Analysis of pseudocolor transformations of ERTS-1 images of Southern California area

The author has identified the following significant results. Representative faults and lineaments, natural features on the Mojave Desert, and cultural features of the southern California area were studied on ERTS-1 images. The relative appearances of the features were compared on a band 4 and 5 subtraction image, its pseudocolor transformation, and pseudocolor images of bands 4, 5, and 7. Selected features were also evaluated in a test given students at the University of California, Los Angeles. Observations and the test revealed no significant improvement in the ability to detect and locate faults and lineaments on the pseudocolor transformations. With the exception of dry lake surfaces, no enhancement of the features studied was observed on the bands 4 and 5 subtraction images. Geologic and geographic features characterized by minor tonal differences on relatively flat surfaces were enhanced on some of the pseudocolor images.

Merifield, P. M.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Regional tectonic evaluation of the Tuscan Apenine, vulcanism, thermal anomalies and the relation to structural units

The author has identified the following significant results. The geological interpretation on data exhibiting the Italian peninsula led to the recognition of tectonic features which are explained by a clockwise rotation of various blocks along left-handed transform faults. These faults can be interpreted as resulting from shear due to main stress directed north-eastwards. A land use map of the mountainous regions of Italy was produced on a scale of 1:250,000. For the digital treatment of MSS-CCTs an image processing software was written in FORTRAN 4. The software package includes descriptive statistics and also classification algorithms.

Bodechtel, J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Synsedimentary deformation and thrusting on the eatern margin of the Barberton Greenstone belt, Swaziland

Mapping on the eastern margin of the 3.6 to 3.3 Ga Barberton Greenstone Belt NW Swaziland has revealed a tectonic complex which is more than 5 km thick. The area consists of fault bound units made up of three lithological associations. Some of these were affected by four phases of deformation. Fold structures, foliations, and lineations are associated with the deformation. Sedimentation, geological structures, and evolutionary history of the area are explained.

Lamb, S. H.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The tectonics of icy satellites

The tectonic features observed on the icy satellites of Jupiter and Saturn are described and evidence that Europa and Enceladus are currently geologically active is provided. Processes that can lead to stresses within icy satellites such as volume changes and convection and shell deformation are discussed. Consideration is also given to the faulting, fracturing, and resurfacing which result from these stresses.

Squyres, Steven W.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Kinematics and mechanics of tectonic block rotations

Paleomagnetic, structural geology, and rock mechanics data are combined to explore the validity of the block rotation concept and its significance. The analysis is based on data from (1) Northern Israel, where fault slip and spacing are used to predict block rotation; (2) the Mojave Desert, with well-documented strike-slip fault sets, organized in at least three major domains; (3) the Lake Mead, Nevada, fault system with well-defined sets of strike-slip faults, which, in contrast to the Mojave region, are surrounded with domains of normal faults; and (4) the San Gabriel Mountains domain with a multiple set of strike-slip faults. It is found that block rotations can have a profound influence on the interpretation of geodetic measurements and the inversion of geodetic data, especially the type collected in GPS surveys. Furthermore, block rotations and domain boundaries may be involved in creating the heterogeneities along active fault systems which are responsible for the initiation and termination of earthquake rupture.

Nur, Amos↗
NASA NTRS2003

Issues and Concerns in Robotic Drilling

Exploration of the Martian subsurface will be essential in the search for life and water, given the desiccated and highly oxidized conditions on the surface. Discovery of these, at least in non-fossil form, is unlikely without drilling or other physical access to the subsurface. Hence subsurface access will be critical for both future in-situ science and Mars sample return. Drilling applications present many new challenges for diagnosis and control technology. Traditionally, diagnosis has concentrated on determining the internal state of a system, and detecting failures of system components. In the case of drilling applications, an additional challenge is to diagnose the interactions between the drill and its environment. This is necessary because particular observations of the drilling operation may be consistent with a number of possible problems, including faults in the equipment, but also changes in the material being drilled (for example, from rock to ice). The diagnosis of a particular observation may also depend on knowledge of geological formations previously encountered during drilling, and different remedial actions may be required for each diagnosis. Current 2009 Mars mission scenarios call for no more than 33 sols to be spent drilling. Yet they also call for a baseline of two 2m-deep holes in each of three target areas, for a total of six drilling operations. Using current levels of automation, it is estimated that 15-16 sols would be required to drill each hole. As a result of this, either the drilling part of the mission plan will need to be severely downscoped to no more than two holes total, or on-board automation and robotics must be increased in order to reduce the number of sols required per hole by removing ground control from the drilling control loop. This lecture will discuss salient issues and concerns of robotic drilling automation compares with other applications, and implementation constraints.

Glass, Brian↗
NASA NTRS1994

The Southern California Dense GPS Geodetic Array

The Southern California Earthquake Center is coordinating a effort by scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the U.S. Geological Survey, and various academic institutions to establish a dense 250 station, continuously recording GPS geodetic array in southern California for measuring crustal deformation associated with slip on the numerous faults that underlie the major metropolitan areas of southern california.

geodetic array faults crustal deformation slip rat↗
NASA NTRS1980

Soil moisture in relation to geologic structure and lithology, northern California

The author has identified the following significant results. Structural features in the Norther California Coast Ranges are clearly discernable on Nite-IR images and some of the structural linears may results in an extension of known faults within the region. The Late Mesozoic marine sedimentary rocks along the western margin of the Sacramento Valley are clearly defined on the Nite-IR images and in a gross way individual layers of sandstone can be differentiated from shale. Late Pleistocene alluvial fans are clearly differentiated from second generation Holocene fans on the basis of tonal characteristics. Although the tonal characteristics change with the seasons, the differentiation of the two sets of fans is still possible.

Rich, E. I.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Overview of the SCEC/USGS Community Stress Drop Validation Study Using the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence

We present initial findings from the ongoing Community Stress Drop Validation Study to compare spectral stress-drop estimates for earthquakes in the 2019 Ridgecrest, California, sequence. This study uses a unified dataset to independently estimate earthquake source parameters through various methods. Stress drop, which denotes the change in average shear stress along a fault during earthquake rupture, is a critical parameter in earthquake science, impacting ground motion, rupture simulation, and source physics. Spectral stress drop is commonly derived by fitting the amplitude-spectrum shape, but estimates can vary substantially across studies for individual earthquakes. Sponsored jointly by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Statewide (previously, Southern) California Earthquake Center our community study aims to elucidate sources of variability and uncertainty in earthquake spectral stress-drop estimates through quantitative comparison of submitted results from independent analyses. The dataset includes nearly 13,000 earthquakes ranging from M 1 to 7 during a two-week period of the 2019 Ridgecrest sequence, recorded within a 1° radius. Here, in this article, we report on 56 unique submissions received from 20 different groups, detailing spectral corner frequencies (or source durations), moment magnitudes, and estimated spectral stress drops. Methods employed encompass spectral ratio analysis, spectral decomposition and inversion, finite-fault modeling, ground-motion-based approaches, and combined methods. Initial analysis reveals significant scatter across submitted spectral stress drops spanning over six orders of magnitude. However, we can identify between-method trends and offsets within the data to mitigate this variability. Averaging submissions for a prioritized subset of 56 events shows reduced variability of spectral stress drop, indicating overall consistency in recovered spectral stress-drop values.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1973

Application of ERTS and EREP images to geologic investigations of the basin and range: Colorado Plateau boundary in northwestern and north central Arizona

The author has identified the following significant results. Regional mapping using ERTS-1 images has led to the recognition of two parallel northeast-trending systems of normal faults, the Bright Angel and Mesa Butte fault systems, each of which can be traced at least 100 miles. Many eruptive centers appear to be localized along these fault systems or along their extensions. The faults are chiefly observed in Phanerozoic rocks and have minor displacement, but are interpreted to reflect fault zones of major displacement in the crystalline Precambrian basement. The location of epicenters of recent earthquakes and reports of earthquakes by residents in the region suggest that the Bright Angel and Mesa Butte fault systems are currently active.

Goetz, A. F. H.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Possible breakup of dark terrain on Ganymede by large-scale shear faulting

The questions of relative motions of large segments of Ganymede's lithosphere and of the effect of any motions on grooved terrain formation are reexamined. Resolvable furrows in both hemispheres were mapped in great detail using Voyager 1 and 2 images and U.S. Geological Survey controlled shaded-relief quadrangle maps. Estimates of the Galileo Regio and Marius Regio poles of furrow concentricity indicate a considerable westward offset of the Galileo Regio pole, suggesting the possibility of about 500-km of left-lateral offset of the two areas. There is evidence that shear deformation was concentrated along a major structural lineament which follows a small circle and encloses Galileo Regio, and that a smaller amount of distributed shear occurred across an adjacent 500- to 1500-km-wide band. The results indicate that either widespread shear strain or the shear's driving mechanism may have had a long-term effect on patterns of deformation of Ganymede's lithosphere.

Murchie, Scott L.↗
NASA NTRS1976

The geology of Mars

The book constitutes a topographic/geologic atlas of Mars compiled on the basis of data from the various Mariner missions. A large number of maps has been included which systematically describe the character and distribution of the principal landforms: craters, channels, volcanoes, and faults; also related properties such as albedo, elevation, and wind streaks. Pictures of all the important topographic features have been included. The discussion of the material is carried out with a minimum of technical detail, and Mars is examined within a context of interplanetary comparisons.

Mutch, T. A.↗