Elmaarry, Mohamed Ramy; Thomas, Nicolas; Gracia Berná, Antonio; Marschall, Raphael; Auger, A. T.; Groussin, O.; Mottola, S.; Pajola, M.; Massironi, M.; Marchi, S.; Hoefner, S.; Preusker, F.; Scholten, F.; Jorda, L.; Kuehrt, E.; Keller, H. U.; Sierks, H.; A'Hearn, M. F.; Barbieri, C.; Barucci, M. A.; ... (2015). Fractures on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko observed by Rosetta/OSIRIS. Geophysical Research Letters, 42(13), pp. 5170-5178. American Geophysical Union 10.1002/2015gl064500
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The Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS) experiment onboard the Rosetta spacecraft currently orbiting comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has yielded unprecedented views of a comet's nucleus. We present here the first ever observations of meter-scale fractures on the surface of a comet. Some of these fractures form polygonal networks. We present an initial assessment of their morphology, topology, and regional distribution. Fractures are ubiquitous on the surface of the comet's nucleus. Furthermore, they occur in various settings and show different topologies suggesting numerous formation mechanisms, which include thermal insulation weathering, orbital-induced stresses, and possibly seasonal thermal contraction. However, we conclude that thermal insolation weathering is responsible for creating most of the observed fractures based on their morphology and setting in addition to thermal models that indicate diurnal temperature ranges exceeding 200K and thermal gradients of similar to 15K/min at perihelion are possible. Finally, we suggest that fractures could be a facilitator in surface evolution and long-term erosion.
Item Type: |
Journal Article (Original Article) |
|---|---|
Division/Institute: |
08 Faculty of Science > Physics Institute > Space Research and Planetary Sciences 08 Faculty of Science > Physics Institute > NCCR PlanetS |
UniBE Contributor: |
Elmaarry, Mohamed Ramy, Thomas, Nicolas, Gracia Berná, Antonio, Marschall, Raphael, Pommerol, Antoine |
Subjects: |
500 Science > 520 Astronomy 600 Technology > 620 Engineering 500 Science > 530 Physics |
ISSN: |
0094-8276 |
Publisher: |
American Geophysical Union |
Language: |
English |
Submitter: |
Katharina Weyeneth-Moser |
Date Deposited: |
14 Jun 2016 14:15 |
Last Modified: |
05 Dec 2022 14:55 |
Publisher DOI: |
10.1002/2015gl064500 |
Web of Science ID: |
000358691300012 |
BORIS DOI: |
10.7892/boris.81655 |
URI: |
https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/81655 |
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