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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 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1978

Seismic structure of the lunar mantle - An overview

The direct P and S wave arrival times from natural lunar seismic events are the most complete and reliable data set for determining the structure of the lunar mantle. A total of 40 events provide sufficiently well-observed arrivals to permit the extraction of structural information. Using this arrival time data set, the average velocities in a two-layered mantle with an assumed crustal structure (from Toksoz et al., 1974) have been obtained. Reflected phases arriving after direct S are then used to calculate the depth of the boundary between the two mantle layers, and to demonstrate that it is probably a complex transition zone approximately 80 km thick between 400 and 480 km depth. To determine velocity gradients in the upper mantle it is required that the model explain the pronounced decrease in shear wave amplitudes and accompanying delay in shear wave arrival times beyond a distance of about 90 deg. The final model is well-constrained.

Goins, N. R.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Mars Geophysics

The titles in this section include: 1) An Extraordinary Magnetic Field Map of Mars; 2) Mapping Weak Crustal Magnetic Fields on Mars with Electron Reflectometry; 3) Analytic Signal in the Interpretation of Mars Southern Highlands Magnetic Field; 4) Modeling of Major Martian Magnetic Anomalies: Further Evidence for Polar Reorientations During the Noachian; 5) An Improved Model of the Crustal Structure of Mars; 6) Geologic Evolution of the Martian Dichotomy and Plains Magnetization in the Ismenius Area of Mars; 7) Relaxation of the Martian Crustal Dichotomy Boundary in the Ismenius Region; 8) Localized Tharsis Loading on Mars: Testing the Membrane Surface Hypothesis; 9) Thermal Stresses and Tharsis Loading: Implications for Wrinkle Ridge Formation on Mars; 10) What Can be Learned about the Martian Lithosphere from Gravity and Topography Data? 11) A Gravity Analysis of the Subsurface Structure of the Utopia Impact Basin; 12) Mechanics of Utopia Basin on Mars; 13) Burying the 'Buried Channels' on Mars: An Alternative Explanation.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1996

The Lunar Crust: Global Structure and Signature of Major Basins

New lunar gravity and topography data from the Clementine Mission provide a global Bouguer anomaly map corrected for the gravitational attraction of mare fill in mascon basins. Most of the gravity signal remaining after corrections for the attraction of topography and mare fill can be attributed to variations in depth to the lunar Moho and therefore crustal thickness. The large range of global crustal thickness (approx. 20-120 km) is indicative of major spatial variations in melting of the lunar exterior and/or significant impact-related redistribution. The 6l-km average crustal thickness, constrained by a depth-to-Moho measured during the Apollo 12 and 14 missions, is preferentially distributed toward the farside, accounting for much of the offset in center-of-figure from the center-of-mass. While the average farside thickness is 12 km greater than the nearside, the distribution is nonuniform, with dramatic thinning beneath the farside, South Pole-Aitken basin. With the global crustal thickness map as a constraint, regional inversions of gravity and topography resolve the crustal structure of major mascon basins to half wavelengths of 150 km. In order to yield crustal thickness maps with the maximum horizontal resolution permitted by the data, the downward continuation of the Bouguer gravity is stabilized by a three- dimensional, minimum-slope and curvature algorithm. Both mare and non-mare basins are characterized by a central upwarped moho that is surrounded by rings of thickened crust lying mainly within the basin rims. The inferred relief at this density interface suggests a deep structural component to the surficial features of multiring lunar impact basins. For large (greater than 300 km diameter) basins, moho relief appears uncorrelated with diameter, but is negatively correlated with basin age. In several cases, it appears that the multiring structures were out of isostatic equilibrium prior to mare emplacement, suggesting that the lithosphere was strong enough to maintain their state of stress to the present.

Neumann, Gregory A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Twinned magnetite in granitic samples from the Siljan impact structure, Sweden

Impact cratering is a ubiquitous process throughout the solar system and has played a key role for the geologic evolution of Earth and other planets [1]. Magnetic anomalies are common characteristics of impact craters [2], so understanding how magnetite (Fe23+Fe2+O42-), an important magnetic carrier in both terrestrial and extraterrestrial rocks, is affected by shock waves, especially structurally and magnetically, is crucial. Magnetic minerals have been studied to gain insight into the geologic evolution of Mars, with specific focus including understanding the Martian crustal structure and the oxidization state of Martian rocks (e.g., [3,4,5]). Shock waves permanently alter the intrinsic magnetic properties of rocks (e.g., [6]), as do twinning in natural environments with less extreme P/T conditions [7]. In fact, pressure conditions induced by impacts have been suggested to explain demagnetization signatures observed around Martian impact basins [8]. It is still poorly understood what effects shock has on the crystallographic structure of magnetite and thus it’s intrinsic magnetic properties, and , how that affects the bulk magnetic properties of rocks (e.g., [9]). Limited experimental studies have investigated the effects of shock compression on magnetite, especially with the aim of describing crystallographic deformation (e.g., [9] and references therein). In this work we report preliminary results of an investigation of microstructures in magnetite, an “unconventional” mineral in shock studies, in granitic samples from the ca. 380 Ma ~52 km-in-diameter Siljan impact structure, located in south-central Sweden.

shock metamorphism↗
NASA NTRS2009

Geologic Mapping of the Lunar South Pole, Quadrangle LQ-30: Volcanic History and Stratigraphy of Schroedinger Basin

In this study we use recent images and topographic data to map the geology and geomorphology of the lunar South Pole quadrangle (LQ-30) at 1:2.5M scale [1-4] in accordance with the Lunar Geologic Mapping Program. Mapping of LQ-30 began during Mest's postdoctoral appointment and has continued under the PG&G Program, from which funding became available in February 2009. Preliminary map-ping and analyses have been done using base materials compiled by Mest, but properly mosaicked and spatially registered base materials are being compiled by the USGS and should be received by the end of June 2009. The overall objective of this research is to constrain the geologic evolution of the lunar South Pole (LQ-30: 60deg -90deg S, 0deg - +/-180deg ) with specific emphasis on evaluation of a) the regional effects of basin formation on the structure and composition of the crust and b) the spatial distribution of ejecta, in particular resulting from formation of the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin and other large basins. Key scientific objectives include: 1) Constraining the geologic history of the lunar South Pole and examining the spatial and temporal variability of geologic processes within the map area. 2) Constraining the vertical and lateral structure of the lunar regolith and crust, assessing the distribution of impact-generated materials, and determining the timing and effects of major basin-forming impacts on crustal structure and stratigraphy in the map area. And 3) assessing the distribution of resources (e.g., H, Fe, Th) and their relationships with surface materials.

Mest, S. C.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Lunar seismology - The internal structure of the moon

It is pointed out that seismology has provided the most detailed information concerning the structure and state of the earth's interior. Beginning in 1969, seismometers were landed on the moon by the Apollo missions, providing the first opportunity to attempt similar studies on another planetary body. In September 1977 the operation of these instruments was terminated. A description is presented of the internal structure of the moon, as determined from the obtained lunar seismic data. The analysis of the lunar data is approached in a systematic fashion, using appropriate techniques to minimize the number of necessary assumptions, extract the maximum amount of structural information, and determine its reliability. The completed lunar seismic network consists of four stations located at the landing sites of Apollo missions 12, 14, 15, and 16. Attention is given to crustal structure, the structure of the lunar mantle, the attenuating region, and the core.

Goins, N. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Magnetic structure of the crust

The bibuniqueness aspect of geophysical interpretation must be constrained by geological insight to limit the range of theoretically possible models. An additional step in depth understanding of the relationship between rock magnetization and geological circumstances on a grand scale is required. Views about crustal structure and the distribution of lithologies suggests a complex situation with lateral and vertical variability at all levels in the crust. Volcanic, plutonic, and metamorphic processes together with each of the observed anomalies. Important questions are addressed: (1) the location of the magnetic bottom; (2) whether the source is a discrete one or are certain parts of the crust cumulatively contributing to the overall magnetization; (3) if the anomaly to some recognizable surface expression is localized, how to arrive at a geologically realistic model incorporating magnetization contrasts which are realistic; (3) in the way the primary mineralogies are altered by metamorphism and the resulting magnetic contracts; (4) the effects of temperature and pressure on magnetization.

Wasilewski, P.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Structure of the Saint Francois Mountains and surrounding lead belt, south east Missouri: Inferences from thermal IR and other data sets

Several digital data sets were registered to a common base map for southern Missouri. These registered data sets were examined in an attempt to improve our understanding of the crustal structure and the relationships between structure and Pb-Zn-Cu, Fe, Mn, and Ba ores in the area. Data included land station reading of gravity, geologic data, and Heat Capacity Mapping Mission (HCMM) images. The HCMM day infrared (IR) images of Missouri displayed linear features, which parallel a newly discovered NW-SE trending Bouguer gravity low. The structural pattern over the gravity low suggests vertical uplift of the low density crust via isostatic readjustment and consequent fracturing of the Paleozoic sedimentary cover. The presence of a gravity low is interesting because rifts are often sites of extensive mineralization. The HCMM thermal data were also examined in conjunction with digital topography, land use, and LANDSAT MSS data to understand the phenomena that produce linears on the HCMM day IR images. Finally, the kinds of information that can be extracted from day-night IR pairs are discussed.

Arvidson, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Synthesis of regional crust and upper-mantle structure from seismic and gravity data

Analyses of regional gravity and magnetic patterns, LANDSAT images and geological information revealed two major lineaments crossing western Pennsylvania and parts of surrounding states. These lineaments are inferred to be expressions of fracture zones which penetrare deeply into the crust and possibly the upper mantle. The extensions of the Tyron-Mt. Union and the Pittsburgh-Washington lineaments bound a distinct crustal block (Lake Erie-Maryland block) over 100 km wide and probably more than 600 km in length. Evidence exists for the lateral displacement of this block at least 60 km northwestward during late Precambrian to Lower Ordovician time. Subsequent movements have been mainly vertical with respect to neighboring blocks. A possible crustal block that passes through eastern Kentucky, proposed by a TVA study on tectonics in the southern Appalachians, was also investigated. Finally, the use of regional gravity and magnetic data in identifying major crustal structures beneath western Pennsylvania is discussed.

Alexander, S. S.↗
NASA NTRS1987

The Martian crustal dichotomy: Product of accretion and not a specific event?

Attempts to explain the fundamental crustal dichotomy on Mars range from purely endogenic to extreme exogenic processes, but to date no satisfactory theory has evolved. What is accepted is: (1) the dichotomy is an ancient feature of the Martian crust, and (2) the boundary between the cratered highlands and northern plains which marks the dichotomy in parts of Mars has undergone significant and variable modification during the observable parts of Martian history. Some ascribe it to a single mega-impact event, essentially an instantaneous rearrangement of the crustal structures (topography and lithospheric thickness). Others prefer an internal mechanism: a period of vigorous convection subcrustally erodes the northern one third of Mars, causing foundering and isostatic lowering of that part of Mars. The evidence for each theory is reviewed, with the conclusion that there is little to recommend either. An alternative is suggested: the formation of the crustal dichotomy on Mars was not a specific tectonic event but a byproduct of the accretionary process and therefore a primordial characteristic of the Martian crust, predating the oldest recognizable landforms.

Frey, Herbert↗
NASA NTRS1985

Structural Mapping of Folded Sedimentary Environments from Satellite Images: an Example from Central Asia

In the Tadjik Depression, in Soviet Central Asia, in the absence of existing geologic or topographic maps, an enhanced LANDSAT multispectral scanner image was used in combination with field data to produce a 1:250000 geologic map of the Vakhsh fold-and-thrust belt and adjacent autochthon. Several structural conclusions are reached as a result of this mapping. Deformation of the Cretaceous and Tertiary strata of the fold-and-thrust belt is, in the central Tadjik Depression, conspicuously absent north of a buried basement fault that marks the hinge-zone of the Late Mesozoic passive margin. But, in the eastern half of the depression, thrusting has moved coherent sheets northward, over the block fault, these sheets now lie flat atop the autochthon to the north. The crustal structure inherited from the Mesozoic extensional phase has strongly influenced the Late Cenozoic pattern of deformation, producing the fold-and-thrust belt that is markedly asymmetric. The development of the thrust system has included the progressive overlapping of thrust: the later thrusts apparently formed internal to the older thrusts, and subsequently overrode them.

Leith, W.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Identification of geostructures of continental crust, particularly as they relate to mineral-resource evaluation

The authors have identified the following significant results. As a precursor to the ERTS-1 investigation, the spatial relationship of geostructures seen on Nimbus IDCS photographs to the distribution of mineralized areas in Alaska and western Canada was analyzed to determine the possible metallogenic significance of the geostructures. In Canada, mercury and porphyry molybdenum deposits are closely associated with strong northwest-trending fault systems; the development of mineralized regions seems related to major crustal zones or fractures trending southwestward across the Cordillera from the Precambrian shield. In Alaska, comparison of the northeast- and northwest-trending set of possible crustal structures shown on the Nimbus photo, with the distribution of known mineral deposits suggests a similar relationship. The mineralized region of massive sulfides in Prince William Sound and upper Copper River areas and of porphyry coppers in the Nabesna area forms a broad northeast-trending belt possibly related to the Minto Arch on the Shield. The belt of metalliferous deposits in the western Alaska Range follows a comparable northeast trend. Mercury deposits, suggested by many to be fault-controlled, together with most tin and tungsten deposits, occupy a northeast-trending belt between the Bristol Bay-Mackenzie Bay linear and extensions of a linear along the lower Yukon River. This belt intersects the northwest-trending Canadian belt of similar deposits in the Fairbanks area.

Gryc, G.↗
NASA NTRS1974

The geoid: Definition and determination

The determination of the geoid has been one of the prime goals of geodesy. Knowledge of geoid undulations with respect to some reference surface was needed for the determination of the figure of the earth, for the precise reduction of distance measurements to a reference ellipsoid, and for the determination of the geocentric location of points on the surface of the earth. Currently and in the future, undulation information can also be used in geophysical studies related to crustal structures and in oceanographic studies related to sea surface topography. The actual determination of global geoids has been carried out by using gravimetric data, satellite‐derived information related to the gravitational field of the earth, or a combination of the two techniques. Regional geoid determinations have been made by astrogeodetic techniques. For some applications of undulation information, undulation standard deviations of the order of ±5 m would be sufficient. Such an accuracy can be obtained by using data currently available. In the past few years, renewed interest in the geoid arose when the concept of satellite altimetry was proposed to measure the distance from the satellite to some area on the ocean surface.

Richard H. Rapp↗
NASA NTRS1977

Space technology in the discovery and development of mineral and energy resources

Space technology, applied to the discovery and extraction of mineral and energy resources, is summarized. Orbital remote sensing for geological purposes has been widely applied through the use of LANDSAT satellites. These techniques also have been of value for protection against environmental hazards and for a better understanding of crustal structure.

Lowman, P. D.↗
NASA NTRS1981

A new method of Curie depth evaluation from magnetic data: Theory

An approach to estimating the Curie point isotherm uses the classical Gauss method inverting a system of nonlinear equations. The method, slightly modified by a differential correction technique, directly inverts filtered Magsat data to calculate the crustal structure above the Curie depth, which is modeled as a magnetized layer of varying thickness and susceptibility. Since the depth below the layer is assumed to be nonmagnetic, the bottom of the layer is interpreted as the Curie depth. The method, once fully developed, tested, and compared with previous work by others, is to be applied to a portion of the eastern U.S. when sufficient Magsat data are accumulated for the region.

Won, I. J.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Spherical-earth gravity and magnetic anomaly modeling by Gauss-Legendre quadrature integration

Gauss-Legendre quadrature integration is used to calculate the anomalous potential of gravity and magnetic fields and their spatial derivatives on a spherical earth. The procedure involves representation of the anomalous source as a distribution of equivalent point gravity poles or point magnetic dipoles. The distribution of equivalent point sources is determined directly from the volume limits of the anomalous body. The variable limits of integration for an arbitrarily shaped body are obtained from interpolations performed on a set of body points which approximate the body's surface envelope. The versatility of the method is shown by its ability to treat physical property variations within the source volume as well as variable magnetic fields over the source and observation surface. Examples are provided which illustrate the capabilities of the technique, including a preliminary modeling of potential field signatures for the Mississippi embayment crustal structure at 450 km.

Von Frese, R. R. B.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Crustal deformation and seismic measurements in the region of McDonald Observatory, West Texas

The arrival times of regional and local earthquakes and located earthquakes in the Basin and Range province of Texas and in the adjacent areas of Chihuahua, Mexico from January 1976 to August 1980 at the UT'NASA seismic array are summarized. The August 1931 Texas earthquake is reevaluated and the seismicity and crustal structure of West Texas is examined. A table of seismic stations is included.

Dorman, H. J.↗