Publications
207 results found
Derrick J, Rutherford M, Davison T, et al., 2018, Interrogating Heterogeneous Compaction of Analogue Materials at the Mesoscale Through Numerical Modeling and Experiments, 20th Biennial Conference of the APS Topical Group on Shock Compression of Condensed Matter, Publisher: AIP Publishing, ISSN: 1551-7616
Brooker LM, Balme MR, Conway SJ, et al., 2017, Clastic polygonal networks around Lyot crater, Mars: Possible formation mechanisms from morphometric analysis, Icarus, Vol: 302, Pages: 386-406, ISSN: 0019-1035
Polygonal networks of patterned ground are a common feature in cold-climate environments. They can form through the thermal contraction of ice-cemented sediment (i.e. formed from fractures), or the freezing and thawing of ground ice (i.e. formed by patterns of clasts, or ground deformation). The characteristics of these landforms provide information about environmental conditions. Analogous polygonal forms have been observed on Mars leading to inferences about environmental conditions. We have identified clastic polygonal features located around Lyot crater, Mars (50°N, 30°E). These polygons are unusually large ( > 100 m diameter) compared to terrestrial clastic polygons, and contain very large clasts, some of which are up to 15 metres in diameter. The polygons are distributed in a wide arc around the eastern side of Lyot crater, at a consistent distance from the crater rim. Using high-resolution imaging data, we digitised these features to extract morphological information. These data are compared to existing terrestrial and Martian polygon data to look for similarities and differences and to inform hypotheses concerning possible formation mechanisms. Our results show the clastic polygons do not have any morphometric features that indicate they are similar to terrestrial sorted, clastic polygons formed by freeze-thaw processes. They are too large, do not show the expected variation in form with slope, and have clasts that do not scale in size with polygon diameter. However, the clastic networks are similar in network morphology to thermal contraction cracks, and there is a potential direct Martian analogue in a sub-type of thermal contraction polygons located in Utopia Planitia. Based upon our observations, we reject the hypothesis that polygons located around Lyot formed as freeze-thaw polygons and instead an alternative mechanism is put forward: they result from the infilling of earlier thermal contraction cracks by wind-blown material, which then beca
Davison TM, Derrick JG, Collins GS, et al., 2017, Impact-induced compaction of primitive solar system solids: The need for mesoscale modelling and experiments, Procedia Engineering, Vol: 204, Pages: 405-412, ISSN: 1877-7058
Primitive solar system solids were accreted as highly porous bimodal mixtures of mm-sized chondrules and sub-μm matrix grains. To understand the compaction and lithification of these materials by shock, it is necessary to investigate the process at the mesoscale; i.e., the scale of individual chondrules. Here we document simulations of hypervelocity compaction of primitive materials using the iSALE shock physics model. We compare the numerical methods employed here with shock compaction experiments involving bimodal mixtures of glass beads and silica powder and find good agreement in bulk material response between the experiments and models. The heterogeneous response to shock of bimodal porous mixtures with a composition more appropriate for primitive solids was subsequently investigated: strong temperature dichotomies between the chondrules and matrix were observed (non-porous chondrules remained largely cold, while the porous matrix saw temperature increases of 100’s K). Matrix compaction was heterogeneous, and post-shock porosity was found to be lower on the lee-side of chondrules. The strain in the matrix was shown to be higher near the chondrule rims, in agreement with observations from meteorites. Chondrule flattening in the direction of the shock increases with increasing impact velocity, with flattened chondrules oriented with their semi-minor axis parallel to the shock direction.
Holm-Alwmark S, Rae A, Ferriere L, et al., 2017, Combining shock barometry with numerical modeling: insights into complex crater formation – The example of the Siljan impact structure (Sweden), Meteoritics and Planetary Science, Vol: 52, Pages: 2521-2549, ISSN: 1086-9379
Siljan, central Sweden, is the largest known impact structure in Europe. It was formed at about 380 Ma, in the late Devonian period. The structure has been heavily eroded to a level originally located underneath the crater floor, and to date, important questions about the original size and morphology of Siljan remain unanswered. Here we present the results of a shock barometry study of quartz-bearing surface and drill core samples combined with numerical modeling using iSALE. The investigated 13 bedrock granitoid samples show that the recorded shock pressure decreases with increasing depth from 15 to 20 GPa near the (present) surface, to 10–15 GPa at 600 m depth. A best-fit model that is consistent with observational constraints relating to the present size of the structure, the location of the downfaulted sediments, and the observed surface and vertical shock barometry profiles is presented. The best-fit model results in a final crater (rim-to-rim) diameter of ~65 km. According to our simulations, the original Siljan impact structure would have been a peak-ring crater. Siljan was formed in a mixed target of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks overlaying crystalline basement. Our modeling suggests that, at the time of impact, the sedimentary sequence was approximately 3 km thick. Since then, there has been around 4 km of erosion of the structure.
Kring DA, Claeys P, Gulick SPS, et al., 2017, Chicxulub and the Exploration of Large Peak-Ring Impact Craters through Scientific Drilling, GSA Today, Vol: 27, Pages: 4-8, ISSN: 1052-5173
The Chicxulub crater is the only well-preserved peak-ring crater on Earth and linked, famously, to the K-T or K-Pg mass extinction event. For the first time, geologists have drilled into the peak ring of that crater in the International Ocean Discovery Program and International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (IODP-ICDP) Expedition 364. The Chicxulub impact event, the environmental calamity it produced, and the paleobiological consequences are among the most captivating topics being discussed in the geologic community. Here we focus attention on the geological processes that shaped the ~200-km-wide impact crater responsible for that discussion and the expedition’s first year results.
Watters WA, Hundal CB, Radford A, et al., 2017, Dependence of secondary crater characteristics on downrange distance: high-resolution morphometry and simulations, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Vol: 122, Pages: 1773-1800, ISSN: 2169-9097
On average, secondary impact craters are expected to deepen and become more symmetric as impact velocity (vi) increases with downrange distance (L). We have used high-resolution topography (1–2 m/pixel) to characterize the morphometry of secondary craters as a function of L for several well-preserved primary craters on Mars. The secondaries in this study (N = 2644) span a range of diameters (25 m ≤D≤400 m) and estimated impact velocities (0.4 km/s ≤vi≤2 km/s). The range of diameter-normalized rim-to-floor depth (d/D) broadens and reaches a ceiling of d/D≈0.22 at L≈280 km (vi= 1–1.2 km/s), whereas average rim height shows little dependence on vi for the largest craters (h/D≈0.02, D > 60 m). Populations of secondaries that express the following morphometric asymmetries are confined to regions of differing radial extent: planform elongations (L< 110–160 km), taller downrange rims (L < 280 km), and cavities that are deeper uprange (L< 450–500 km). Populations of secondaries with lopsided ejecta were found to extend to at least L ∼ 700 km. Impact hydrocode simulations with iSALE-2D for strong, intact projectile and target materials predict a ceiling for d/D versus L whose trend is consistent with our measurements. This study illuminates the morphometric transition from subsonic to hypervelocity cratering and describes the initial state of secondary crater populations. This has applications to understanding the chronology of planetary surfaces and the long-term evolution of small crater populations.
Melosh HJ, Bland PA, Collins GS, et al., 2017, A SPECULATIVE "FIEFDOM" MODEL FOR CHONDRITE ORIGINS., 80th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical-Society, Publisher: WILEY, Pages: A232-A232, ISSN: 1086-9379
Muxworthy AR, Bland PA, Davison TM, et al., 2017, Evidence for an impact-induced magnetic fabric in Allende, and exogenous alternatives to the core dynamo theory for Allende magnetization, Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Vol: 52, Pages: 2132-2146, ISSN: 1086-9379
We conducted a paleomagnetic study of the matrix of Allende CV3 chondritic meteorite, isolating the matrix’s primary remanent magnetization, measuring its magnetic fabric and estimating the ancient magnetic field intensity. A strong planar magnetic fabric was identified; the remanent magnetization of the matrix was aligned within this plane, suggesting a mechanism relating the magnetic fabric and remanence. The intensity of the matrix’s remanent magnetization was found to be consistent and low (~6 μT). The primary magnetic mineral was found to be pyrrhotite. Given the thermal history of Allende, we conclude that the remanent magnetization formed during or after an impact event. Recent mesoscale impact mode ling, where chondrules and matrix are resolved, has shown that low-velocity collisions can generate significant matrix temperatures, as pore-space compaction attenuates shock energy and dramatically increases the amount of heating. Non-porous chondrules are unaffected, and act as heat-sinks, so matrix temperature excursions are brief. We extend this work to model Allende, and show that a 1km/s planar impact generates bulk porosity, matrix porosity, and fabric in our target that match the observed values. Bimodal mixtures of a highly porous matrix and nominally zero-porosity chondrules, make chondrites uniquely capable of recording transient or unstable fields. Targets that have uniform porosity, e.g., terrestrial impact craters, will not record transient or unstable fields. Rather than a core dynamo, it is therefore possible that the origin of the magnetic field in Allende was the impact itself, or a nebula field recorded during transient impact heating.
Jourdan F, Timms NE, Eroglu E, et al., 2017, Collisional history of asteroid Itokawa, Geology, Vol: 45, Pages: 819-822, ISSN: 1943-2682
In situ extrate rrestrial samples returned for study (e.g., from the Moon) are crucial in understanding the origin and evolution of the Solar System as, contrary to meteorites, they provide a known geological context for the samples and their analyses. Asteroid 25143 Itokawa is a rubble pile asteroid consisting of reaccumulated fragments from a catastrophically disrupted monolithic parent asteroid, and from which regolith dust particles have been recovered by the Hayabusa space probe. We analyzed two dust particles using Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) and 40 Ar/39 Ar dating techniques. One of the grains showing signs of 15–25 GPa impact shock pressure, yielded a 40 Ar/Ar plateau age of 2.3 ± 0.1 Ga. We develop a novel temperature -pressure-porosity model, coupled with diffusion models to show that the relatively low pressure and high temperature involved in the impact process can be reconciled only if the asteroid was already made of porous material at ~2.3 Ga and thus, if asteroid Itokawa was already formed, thereby providing a minimum age for catastrophic asteroid breakup. A second particle shows no sign of deformation indicating shock pressure of ˂ 10 GPa and a calculated maximum temperature of ~200 °C. This low temperature estimate is compatible with a lack of isotopic resetting for this particle. This suggests that the breakup of Itokawa’s parent was a relatively low-temperature process at the scale of the asteroid, and occurred on a pre-shattered parent body.
Rutherford ME, Chapman DJ, Derrick JG, et al., 2017, Probing the early stages of shock-induced chondritic meteorite formation at the mesoscale, Scientific Reports, Vol: 7, ISSN: 2045-2322
Chondritic meteorites are fragments of asteroids, the building blocks of planets, that retain a record of primordialprocesses. Important in their early evolution was impact-driven lithification, where a porous mixture of millimetre-scale chondrule inclusions and sub-micrometre dust was compacted into rock. In this Article, the shock compression ofanalogue precursor chondrite material was probed using state of the art dynamic X-ray radiography. Spatially-resolvedshock and particle velocities, and shock front thicknesses were extracted directly from the radiographs, representinga greatly enhanced scope of data than could be measured in surface-based studies. A statistical interpretation of themeasured velocities showed that mean values were in good agreement with those predicted using continuum-levelmodelling and mixture theory. However, the distribution and evolution of wave velocities and wavefront thicknesseswere observed to be intimately linked to the mesoscopic structure of the sample. This Article provides the first detailedexperimental insight into the distribution of extreme states within a shocked powder mixture, and represents the firstmesoscopic validation of leading theories concerning the variation in extreme pressure-temperature states during theformation of primordial planetary bodies.
Collins GS, Lynch E, McAdam R, et al., 2017, A numerical assessment of simple airblast models of impact airbursts, Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Vol: 52, Pages: 1542-1560, ISSN: 1086-9379
Asteroids and comets 10–100 m in size that collide with Earth disrupt dramatically in the atmosphere with an explosive transfer of energy, caused by extreme air drag. Such airbursts produce a strong blastwave that radiates from the meteoroid's trajectory and can cause damage on the surface. An established technique for predicting airburst blastwave damage is to treat the airburst as a static source of energy and to extrapolate empirical results of nuclear explosion tests using an energy-based scaling approach. Here we compare this approach to two more complex models using the iSALE shock physics code. We consider a moving-source airburst model where the meteoroid's energy is partitioned as two-thirds internal energy and one-third kinetic energy at the burst altitude, and a model in which energy is deposited into the atmosphere along the meteoroid's trajectory based on the pancake model of meteoroid disruption. To justify use of the pancake model, we show that it provides a good fit to the inferred energy release of the 2013 Chelyabinsk fireball. Predicted overpressures from all three models are broadly consistent at radial distances from ground zero that exceed three times the burst height. At smaller radial distances, the moving-source model predicts overpressures two times greater than the static-source model, whereas the cylindrical line-source model based on the pancake model predicts overpressures two times lower than the static-source model. Given other uncertainties associated with airblast damage predictions, the static-source approach provides an adequate approximation of the azimuthally averaged airblast for probabilistic hazard assessment.
Forman LV, Bland PA, Timms NE, et al., 2017, Defining the mechanism for compaction of the CV chondrite parent body, Geology, Vol: 45, Pages: 559-562, ISSN: 1943-2682
The Allende meteorite, a relatively unaltered member of the CV carbonaceous chondrite group, contains primitive crystallographic textures that can inform our understanding of early Solar System planetary compaction. To test between models of porosity reduction on the CV parent body, complex microstructures within ~0.5-mm-diameter chondrules and ~10-μm-long matrix olivine grains were analyzed by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) techniques. The large area map presented is one of the most extensive EBSD maps to have been collected in application to extraterrestrial materials. Chondrule margins preferentially exhibit limited intragrain crystallographic misorientation due to localized crystal-plastic deformation. Crystallographic preferred orientations (CPOs) preserved by matrix olivine grains are strongly coupled to grain shape, most pronounced in shortest dimension <a>, yet are locally variable in orientation and strength. Lithostatic pressure within plausible chondritic model asteroids is not sufficient to drive compaction or create the observed microstructures if the aggregate was cold. Significant local variability in the orientation and intensity of compaction is also inconsistent with a global process. Detailed microstructures indicative of crystal-plastic deformation are consistent with brief heating events that were small in magnitude. When combined with a lack of sintered grains and the spatially heterogeneous CPO, ubiquitous hot isostatic pressing is unlikely to be responsible. Furthermore, Allende is the most metamorphosed CV chondrite, so if sintering occurred at all on the CV parent body it would be evident here. We conclude that the crystallographic textures observed reflect impact compaction and indicate shock-wave directionality. We therefore present some of the first significant evidence for shock compaction of the CV parent body.
Rae A, Collins GS, Grieve RAF, et al., 2017, Complex crater formation: Insights from combining observations of shock pressure distribution with numerical models at the West Clearwater Lake impact structure, Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Vol: 52, Pages: 1330-1350, ISSN: 1086-9379
Large impact structures have complex morphologies, with zones of structural uplift that can be expressed topographically as central peaks and/or peak rings internal to the crater rim. The formation of these structures requires transient strength reduction in the target material and one of the proposed mechanisms to explain this behavior is acoustic fluidization. Here, samples of shock-metamorphosed quartz-bearing lithologies at the West Clearwater Lake impact structure, Canada, are used to estimate the maximum recorded shock pressures in three dimensions across the crater. These measurements demonstrate that the currently-observed distribution of shock metamorphism is strongly controlled by the formation of the structural uplift. The distribution of peak shock pressures, together with apparent crater morphology and geological observations, is compared with numerical impact simulations to constrain parameters used in the block-model implementation of acoustic fluidization. The numerical simulations produce craters that are consistent with morphological and geological observations. The results show that the regeneration of acoustic energy must be an important feature of acoustic fluidization in crater collapse, and should be included in future implementations. Based on the comparison between observational data and impact simulations we conclude that the West Clearwater Lake structure had an original rim (final crater) diameter of 35–40 km and has since experienced up to ~2 km of differential erosion.
Smith R, 2017, Numerical modelling of tsunami generated by deformable submarine slides
Submarine slides can generate tsunami waves that cause significant damage and loss of life. Numerical modelling of submarine slide generated waves is complex and computationally challenging, but is useful to understand the nature of the waves that are generated, and identify the important factors in determining wave characteristics which in turn are used in risk assessments. In this work, the open-source, finite-element, unstructured mesh fluid dynamics framework Fluidity is used to simulate submarine slide tsunami using a number of different numerical approaches. First, three alternative approaches for simulating submarine slide acceleration, deformation and wave generation with full coupling between the slide and water in two dimensions are compared. Each approach is verified against benchmarks from experimental and other numerical studies, at different scales, for deformable submarine slides. There is good agreement to both laboratory results and other numerical models, both with a fixed mesh and a dynamically adaptive mesh, tracking important features of the slide geometry as the simulation progresses. Second, Fluidity is also used in a single-layer Bousinesq approximation in conjunction with a prescribed velocity boundary condition to model the propagation of slide tsunami in two and three dimensions. A new, efficient approach for submarine slide tsunami that accounts for slide dynamics and deformation is developed by imposing slide dynamics, derived from multi-material simulations. Two submarine slides are simulated in the Atlantic Ocean, and these generate waves up to 10 m high at the coast of the British Isles. Results indicate the largest waves are generated in the direction of slide motion. The lowest waves are generated perpendicular to the slide motion. The slide velocity and acceleration are the most important factors in determining wave height. Slides that deform generate higher waves than rigid slides, although this effect is of secondary importance f
Collins GS, 2017, Moon Formation: Punch Combo or Knock-out Blow, Nature Geoscience, ISSN: 1752-0908
Morgan JV, Gulick SPS, Bralower T, et al., 2016, The formation of peak rings in large impact craters, Science, Vol: 354, Pages: 878-882, ISSN: 0036-8075
Large impacts provide a mechanism for resurfacing planets through mixing near-surface rocks with deeper material. Central peaks are formed from the dynamic uplift of rocks during crater formation. As crater size increases, central peaks transition to peak rings. Without samples, debate surrounds the mechanics of peak-ring formation and their depth of origin. Chicxulub is the only known impact structure on Earth with an unequivocal peak ring, but it is buried and only accessible through drilling. Expedition 364 sampled the Chicxulub peak ring, which we found was formed from uplifted, fractured, shocked, felsic basement rocks. The peak-ring rocks are cross-cut by dikes and shear zones and have an unusually low density and seismic velocity. Large impacts therefore generate vertical fluxes and increase porosity in planetary crust.
Johnson BC, Blair DM, Collins GS, 2016, Formation of the Orientale lunar multiring basin, Science, Vol: 354, Pages: 441-444, ISSN: 0036-8075
Multiring basins, large impact craters characterized by multiple concentric topographic rings, dominate the stratigraphy, tectonics, and crustal structure of the Moon. Using a hydrocode, we simulated the formation of the Orientale multiring basin, producing a subsurface structure consistent with high-resolution gravity data from the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft. The simulated impact produced a transient crater, ~390 kilometers in diameter, that was not maintained because of subsequent gravitational collapse. Our simulations indicate that the flow of warm weak material at depth was crucial to the formation of the basin’s outer rings, which are large normal faults that formed at different times during the collapse stage. The key parameters controlling ring location and spacing are impactor diameter and lunar thermal gradients.
Kring DA, Kramer GY, Collins GS, et al., 2016, Peak-Ring Structure and Kinematics from a Multi-disciplinary Study of the Schrödinger Impact Basin, Nature Communications, Vol: 7, ISSN: 2041-1723
The Schrödinger basin on the lunar farside is ~320 km in diameter and the best-preservedpeak-ring basin of its size in the Earth–Moon system. Spectral and photogeologic analyses ofdata from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper instrument on the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft and theLunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) on the LRO spacecraft indicate the peak ring iscomposed of anorthositic, noritic, and troctolitic lithologies that were juxtaposed by severalcross-cutting faults during peak ring formation. Hydrocode simulations indicate the lithologieswere uplifted from depths up to 30 km, representing the crust of the lunar farside. Combining2geological and remote-sensing observations with numerical modeling, here we show a DisplacedStructural Uplift model is best for peak rings, including that in the K-T Chicxulub impact crateron Earth. These results may help guide sample selection in lunar sample return missions that arebeing studied for the multi-agency International Space Exploration Coordination Group.Determining which lunar landing site may yield information about the lunar interior is veryimportant with impact basins usually the best sites. Kring et al. provide a geological map of theSchrödinger basin on the moon via a multidisciplinary approach of remote sensing and numericalmodeling.
Forman LV, Bland PA, Timms NE, et al., 2016, Hidden Secrets Of Deformation: Impact-Induced Compaction Within A CV Chondrite, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol: 452, Pages: 133-145, ISSN: 0012-821X
The CV3 Allende is one of the most extensively studied meteorites in worldwide collections. It is currently classified as S1—essentially unshocked—using the classification scheme of Stöffler et al. (1991), however recent modelling suggests the low porosity observed in Allende indicates the body should have undergone compaction-related deformation. In this study, we detail previously undetected evidence of impact through use of Electron Backscatter Diffraction mapping to identify deformation microstructures in chondrules, AOAs and matrix grains. Our results demonstrate that forsterite-rich chondrules commonly preserve crystal-plastic microstructures (particularly at their margins); that low-angle boundaries in deformed matrix grains of olivine have a preferred orientation; and that disparities in deformation occur between chondrules, surrounding and non-adjacent matrix grains. We find heterogeneous compaction effects present throughout the matrix, consistent with a highly porous initial material. Given the spatial distribution of these crystal-plastic deformation microstructures, we suggest that this is evidence that Allende has undergone impact-induced compaction from an initially heterogeneous and porous parent body. We suggest that current shock classifications (Stöffler et al., 1991) relying upon data from chondrule interiors do not constrain the complete shock history of a sample.
Miljkovic K, Collins GS, 2016, Subsurface morphology and scaling of lunar impact basins, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Vol: 121, Pages: 1695-1712, ISSN: 2169-9097
Impact bombardment during the first billion years after the formation of the Moon produced at least several tens of basins. The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission mapped the gravity field of these impact structures at significantly higher spatial resolution than previous missions, allowing for detailed subsurface and morphological analyses to be made across the entire globe. GRAIL-derived crustal thickness maps were used to define the regions of crustal thinning observed in centers of lunar impact basins, which represents a less unambiguous measure of a basin size than those based on topographic features. The formation of lunar impact basins was modeled numerically by using the iSALE-2D hydrocode, with a large range of impact and target conditions typical for the first billion years of lunar evolution. In the investigated range of impactor and target conditions, the target temperature had the dominant effect on the basin subsurface morphology. Model results were also used to update current impact scaling relationships applicable to the lunar setting (based on assumed target temperature). Our new temperature-dependent impact-scaling relationships provide estimates of impact conditions and transient crater diameters for the majority of impact basins mapped by GRAIL. As the formation of lunar impact basins is associated with the first ~700 Myr of the solar system evolution when the impact flux was considerably larger than the present day, our revised impact scaling relationships can aid further analyses and understanding of the extent of impact bombardment on the Moon and terrestrial planets in the early solar system.
Davison M, Collins GS, Bland PA, 2016, MESOSCALE MODELLING OF IMPACT COMPACTION OF PRIMITIVE SOLAR SYSTEM SOLIDS, 79th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical-Society, Publisher: WILEY, Pages: A221-A221, ISSN: 1086-9379
Lyons RJ, Ciesla FJ, Bowling TJ, et al., 2016, THE EFFECT OF EARLY IMPACTS ON IRON METEORITE COOLING RATES, 79th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical-Society, Publisher: WILEY-BLACKWELL, Pages: A433-A433, ISSN: 1086-9379
Davison TM, Collins GS, Bland PA, et al., 2016, MESOSCALE MODELLING OF THE COMPACTION OF WATER-RICH ASTEROIDS BY LOW-VELOCITY IMPACTS, 79th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical-Society, Publisher: WILEY-BLACKWELL, Pages: A222-A222, ISSN: 1086-9379
Derrick JG, Rutherford ME, Davison TM, et al., 2016, INTERROGATING HETEROGENEOUS COMPACTION OF METEORITIC MATERIAL AT THE MESOSCALE USING ANALOG EXPERIMENTS AND NUMERICAL MODELS, 79th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical-Society, Publisher: WILEY-BLACKWELL, Pages: A228-A228, ISSN: 1086-9379
Davison TM, Collins G, Bland P, 2016, Mesoscale Modeling Of Impact Compaction Of Primitive Solar System Solids, Astrophysical Journal, Vol: 821, ISSN: 1538-4357
We have developed a method for simulating the mesoscale compaction of early solar system solids in low velocity impact events, using the iSALE shock physics code. Chondrules are represented by nonporous disks, placed within a porous matrix. By simulating impacts into bimodal mixtures over a wide range of parameter space (including the chondrule-to-matrix ratio, the matrix porosity and composition and the impact velocity), we have shown how each of these parameters influences the shock processing of heterogeneous materials. The temperature after shock processing shows a strong dichotomy: matrix temperatures are elevated much higher than the chondrules, which remain largely cold. Chondrules can protect some matrix from shock compaction, with shadow regions in the lee side of chondrules exhibiting higher porosity that elsewhere in the matrix. Using the results from this mesoscale modelling, we show how the ε − α porous compaction model parameters depend on initial bulk porosity. We also show that the timescale for the temperature dichotomy to equilibrate is highly dependent on the porosity of the matrix after the shock, and will be on the order of seconds for matrix porosities of less than 0.1, and on the order of 10’s to 100’s seconds for matrix porosities of ~ 0.3–0.5. Finally, we have shown that the composition of the post-shock material is able to match the bulk porosity and chondrule-to-matrix ratios of meteorite groups such as carbonaceous chondrites and unequilibrated ordinary chondrites.
Smith R, Hill J, Collins GS, et al., 2016, Comparing approaches for numerical modelling of tsunami generation by deformable submarine slides, Ocean Modelling, Vol: 100, Pages: 125-140, ISSN: 1463-5003
Tsunami generated by submarine slides are arguably an under-consideredrisk in comparison to earthquake-generated tsunami. Numerical simulationsof submarine slide-generated waves can be used to identify the important factorsin determining wave characteristics. Here we use Fluidity, an open sourcefinite element code, to simulate waves generated by deformable submarineslides. Fluidity uses flexible unstructured meshes combined with adaptivitywhich alters the mesh topology and resolution based on the simulationstate, focussing or reducing resolution, when and where it is required. Fluidityalso allows a number of different numerical approaches to be taken tosimulate submarine slide deformation, free-surface representation, and wavegeneration within the same numerical framework. In this work we use amulti-material approach, considering either two materials (slide and waterwith a free surface) or three materials (slide, water and air), as well as asediment model (sediment, water and free surface) approach. In all casesthe slide is treated as a viscous fluid. Our results are shown to be consistentwith laboratory experiments using a deformable submarine slide, anddemonstrate good agreement when compared with other numerical models.The three different approaches for simulating submarine slide dynamics andtsunami wave generation produce similar waveforms and slide deformationgeometries. However, each has its own merits depending on the application.Mesh adaptivity is shown to be able to reduce the computational cost withoutcompromising the accuracy of results.
Johnson BC, Collins GS, Minton DA, et al., 2016, Spherule layers, crater scaling laws, and the population of ancient terrestrial craters, Icarus, Vol: 271, Pages: 350-359, ISSN: 1090-2643
Ancient layers of impact spherules provide a record of Earth's early bombardment history. Here, we compare different bombardment histories to the spherule layer record and show that 3.2-3.5 Ga the flux of large impactors (10-100 km in diameter) was likely 20-40 times higher than today. The E-belt model of early Solar System dynamics suggests that an increased impactor flux during the Archean is the result of the destabilization of an inward extension of the main asteroid belt (Bottke, W.F., Vokrouhlický, D., Minton, D., Nesvorný, D., Morbidelli, A., Brasser, R., Simonson, B., Levison, H.F., 2012. Nature 485, 78–81). Here, we find that the nominal flux predicted by the E-belt model is 7-19 times too low to explain the spherule layer record. Moreover, rather than making most lunar basins younger than 4.1 Gyr old, the nominal E-belt model, coupled with a corrected crater diameter scaling law, only produces two lunar basins larger than 300 km in diameter. We also show that the spherule layer record when coupled with the lunar cratering record and careful consideration of crater scaling laws can constrain the size distribution of ancient terrestrial impactors. The preferred population is main-belt-like up to ∼50 km in diameter transitioning to a steep distribution going to larger sizes.
Asphaug E, Collins GS, Jutzi M, 2015, Global Scale Impacts, Asteroids IV, Editors: Michel, DeMeo, Bottke, Publisher: University of Arizona Press, Pages: 661-678, ISBN: 9780816532131
Global scale impacts modify the physical or thermal state of a substantial fraction of a target asteroid. Specific effects include accretion, family formation, reshaping, mixing and layering, shock and frictional heating, fragmentation, material compaction, dilatation, stripping of mantle and crust, and seismic degradation. Deciphering the complicated record of global scale impacts, in asteroids and meteorites, will lead us to understand the original planet-forming process and its resultant populations, and their evolution in time as collisions became faster and fewer. We provide a brief overview of these ideas, and an introduction to models.
Baker DMH, Head JW, Collins GS, et al., 2015, The formation of peak-ring basins: working hypotheses and path forward in using observations to constrain models of impact-basin formation, Icarus, Vol: 273, Pages: 146-163, ISSN: 0019-1035
Impact basins provide windows into the crustal structure and stratigraphy of planetary bodies; however, interpreting the stratigraphic origin of basin materials requires an understanding of the processes controlling basin formation and morphology. Peak-ring basins (exhibiting a rim crest and single interior ring of peaks) provide important insight into the basin-formation process, as they are transitional between complex craters with central peaks and larger multi-ring basins. New image and altimetry data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter as well as a suite of remote sensing datasets have permitted a reassessment of the origin of lunar peak-ring basins. We synthesize morphometric, spectroscopic, and gravity observations of lunar peak-ring basins and describe two working hypotheses for the formation of peak rings that involve interactions between inward collapsing walls of the transient cavity and large central uplifts of the crust and mantle. Major facets of our observations are then compared and discussed in the context of numerical simulations of peak-ring basin formation in order to plot a course for future model refinement and development.
Milbury C, Johnson BC, Melosh HJ, et al., 2015, Preimpact porosity controls the gravity signature of lunar craters, Geophysical Research Letters, Vol: 42, Pages: 9711-9716, ISSN: 1944-8007
We model the formation of lunar complex craters and investigate the effect of preimpact porosity on their gravity signatures. We find that while preimpact target porosities less than ~7% produce negative residual Bouguer anomalies (BAs), porosities greater than ~7% produce positive anomalies whose magnitude is greater for impacted surfaces with higher initial porosity. Negative anomalies result from pore space creation due to fracturing and dilatant bulking, and positive anomalies result from destruction of pore space due to shock wave compression. The central BA of craters larger than ~215 km in diameter, however, are invariably positive because of an underlying central mantle uplift. We conclude that the striking differences between the gravity signatures of craters on the Earth and Moon are the result of the higher average porosity and variable porosity of the lunar crust.
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