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Leveraging the Strength of Comparative Planetary Geology in the Coming Decades

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Leveraging the Strength of Comparative Planetary Geology in the Coming Decades Planetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop 2017 (LPI Contrib. No. 1989) 8179.pdf LEVERAGING THE STRENGTH OF COMPARATIVE PLANETARY GEOLOGY IN THE COMING DECADES. Paul K. Byrne1, 1Planetary Research Group, Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA ([email protected]). Introduction: In 1984, thirty three years before the heavily cratered, many are dominantly volcanic in na- Planetary Science Vision 2050 workshop, humans had ture, and almost none interacts with a hydrosphere—so yet to fly spacecraft by the ice giants and their moons, the geological processes and landforms to which most no rover had successfully explored Mars, half of Mer- students are exposed are the exception, rather than the cury remained unseen, and no asteroid, comet, or dwarf rule. On the other hand, the early histories of many Solar planet had been visited. Our knowledge of the Solar System bodies are recorded on their surfaces, providing System, although substantial even in 1984, has in- insight into the conditions and processes likely present creased markedly in the years hence. What new discov- on the ancient Earth, for which little evidence now re- eries await us in the next thirty three years? mains. As for any aspect of planetary science, then, the A key tool for maximizing the scientific value of study of the geology of other worlds facilitates a better those discoveries is comparative planetology, by which understanding of our own planet, and a thorough the landforms, processes, and properties of other plane- grounding of the geology of Earth allows for a more tary bodies are assessed in the context of our under- comprehensive view of our Solar System neighbors. standing of similar phenomena on Earth. There has been Opportunities: The pace of geological discoveries no shortage of efforts to compare other worlds with in this solar system is likely to increase even in the rel- Earth, or with each other, and numerous excellent com- ative near-term [e.g., 14–16], and so there continues to pilations of these efforts exist for topics as diverse as be enormous scope for combining the expertise of re- planetary climate, ring systems, atmospheres, magneto- searchers who focus on Earth-based geological topics spheres, interiors, and even habitability [e.g., 1–7]. Yet with those who specialize in planetary geology. far more can be done to leverage the power of compar- Moreover, the greatest volume of new planetary sci- ative planetology in the years to 2050. ence discoveries in the past couple of decades has come Take geology, the field with which this author is not from exploration of this solar system, but from as- more familiar: comparative planetary geology has been tronomical characterization of extrasolar planets. Prior applied successfully in studies of the numerous Solar to the early 1990s we had no definitive evidence that System bodies [e.g., 8–10]. Specific instances—of planets existed in other star systems [17,18], but as of which there are a great many!—collectively define a the time of submission of this abstract, 3,545 planets in wide range of topics that encompasses the assessment 2,659 planetary systems are known [19]. With numer- of extraterrestrial aeolian dunes with those on Earth ous missions currently working to characterize addi- [11], the characterization of how lacustrine and fluvial tional extrasolar planets, and yet more such missions landforms on Titan parallel those on our own world planned [e.g., 20,21], it is likely that this field will con- [12], and the investigation of large-scale crustal short- tinue to grow much faster than Solar System science in ening structures on Earth as analogues to tectonic land- the next 33 years. forms on other worlds [13]. Finally, there exists the possibility—however re- Earth vs. Other Planetary Bodies: However, the mote—that extant or fossil life will be discovered on or field of planetary geology is small compared with the within another planetary body in the next 33 years. Such discipline of geology overall, the major focus of which a discovery would change planetary science fundamen- is on Earth landforms and processes. (As a crude metric tally, with the biological sciences quickly playing a con- by which to illustrate this difference in size, Planetary siderably larger role in planetary research than they do Geology is but one of 18 Geological Society of America now, and planetary geology placing a greater focus on Divisions; at least eight other divisions overlap themat- geobiology and paleontology. ically with planetary geology. The European Geosci- A sustained and focused effort by planetary geolo- ences Union is similarly structured: Planetary and Solar gists to engage the global geological research commu- System Sciences is one of 22 divisions.) nity via thematic colloquia, interdisciplinary sessions at Further, few students reading geology at post-sec- meetings, and topical special issues will foster compar- ondary level are exposed much (if at all) to geological ative geological investigations. Working to integrate processes on other bodies. (The author writes from ex- planetary geology topics into undergraduate (and even perience). As a result, students acquire a detailed train- secondary and primary) education will ensure a steady ing of the geology of a world with plate tectonics, even supply of researchers cognizant of how our world re- though that process is almost exclusive to Earth. Simi- sembles, and differs from, other Solar System bodies. larly, most solid-surface bodies in the Solar System are These efforts will be augmented by partnering with the Planetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop 2017 (LPI Contrib. No. 1989) 8179.pdf astronomical and biological disciplines as fully as pos- Planetary Sciences, Cambridge Univ. Press. [2] Mackwell sible, to apply comparative planetary geology to our S. J. et al. (2013) Comparative Climatology of Terrestrial growing understanding of extrasolar worlds, and to rise Planets, Univ. Arizona Press. [3] Esposito L. W. (2014) to the incredible challenge of helping to characterize Planetary Rings, Cambridge Univ. Press. [4] Sánchez- how, where, and when extraterrestrial life arose, should Lavega A. (2010) An Introduction to Planetary Atmos- the need arise. And above all, it will be crucial to these pheres, CRC Press. [5] Kallenrode M.-B. (2001) Space efforts to encourage policy makers and funding agencies Physics, Springer. [6] Eales S. (2009) Planets and Plane- to support comparative planetary geology through exist- tary Systems, John Wiley & Sons. [7] Conrad P. G. (2016) ing and new interdisciplinary programs. Planetary Habitability. Cambridge Univ. Press. [8] Outlook for 2050: It may be too lofty a goal to have Melosh H. J. (2011) Planetary Surface Processes, Cam- dropped by 2050 the “planetary” in planetary geology, bridge Univ. Press. [9] Faure G. and Mensing T. M. (2007) whereby the study and comparison of other bodies is as Introduction to Planetary Science: The Geological Per- fundamental a part of the geological curriculum as pe- spective, Springer. [10] Vita-Finzi C. and Fortes D. (2013) trology or stratigraphy—but the spirit of that goal Planetary Geology: An Introduction, Dunedin Acad. should drive us over the next 33 years. Press. [11] Bourke, M. C. et al. (2010) Geomorphology, More broadly, we should continue to take every op- 121, 1–14. [12] Stofan et al. (2007) Nature, 445, 61–64. portunity to more closely align planetary geology with [13] Byrne et al. (2016) LPS 47, Abstract #1,022. [14] Lau- the other disciplines that constitute planetary science, rette D. S. et al. (2012) LPS 43, Abstract #2,491. [15] including (but by no means limited to) astronomy and Banerdt W. B. et al. (2013) LPSC 44, Abstract #1,915. [16] biology. Advocacy for comparative planetary geol- Meyer M. A. and Schulte M. D. (2014) AGU Fall Meeting, ogy—and comparative planetology in general—must Abstract P24A-01. [17] Wolszczan A. and Frail D. A. feature in the growth of our community going forward, (1992) Nature, 355, 145–147. [18] Mayor M. and Queloz for we will come to understand the workings of this and D. (1995) Nature, 378, 355–359. [19] http://exoplanet. other solar systems most effectively only when we op- eu/catalog/, accessed 2016-12-14. [20] Howell S. B. et al. erate as more than the sum of our parts. (2014) Pub. Astron. Soc. Pac., 126, 398–408. [21] Ricker References: [1] de Pater I. and Lissauer J. L. (2015) G. R. et al. (2014) Proc. SPIE, 9,143, 15 pp. Planetary.
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