2015 Annual Research Report Hanna Sizemore

Research Activities

(1) Dawn at Ceres Guest Investigator – global geologic mapping of morphological features related to ground ice. As a Dawn guest investigator I am using Framing Camera data to identify, catalog, and map morphological features that are potentially diagnostic of water ice in the shallow subsurface of Ceres. Features of identified to date include domed hills, lobate ejecta and flows, and pitted terrains. I am also participating in the coordinated geologic mapping effort underway at Ceres by producing maps of the Ac-H-13 Urvara Quadrangle. (2) Laboratory investigation of ice lens development on Mars: continued hardware development/modification with Michael Mellon. In 2014-2015 we fabricated a small Mars environmental chamber at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) that allowed us to deposit ice in soil from the vapor phase and observe the ice segregation process. Preliminary science results were consistent with theoretical predictions. The focus of our effort this year was transporting all hardware to Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU-APL) where new experiments will take place in 2016. (3) Theoretical investigation of rock mobility in martian permafrost. This project is in its early stages. Efforts this year focused on making preliminary estimates of rock migration rates and identifying appropriate force balance equations and material parameterizations for more detailed calculations.

Peer Reviewed Publications:

Sizemore, Zent, Remple (2015) Initiation and growth of martian ice lenses. Icarus, 251, 191-210.

Conference abstracts, first author: Sizemore, H. G., et al. (2015) Initial Geologic Mapping of the Ac-H-13 Urvara Quadrangle of Ceres using Dawn Spacecraft Data. Geological Society of America Fall Meeting, abstract 308-13. Sizemore, H. G., et al. (2015) Origin Hypotheses for Kilometer-Scale Mounds on Dwarf Planet Ceres. 47th DPS Fall Meeting, abstract 212.05. Sizemore, H. G., et al. (2015) Preliminary Geological Map of the Ac-H-13 Urvara Quadrangle of Ceres: An Integrated Mapping Study Using Dawn Spacecraft Data. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, abstract P53E-2180.

Conference abstracts, contributing author:

Platz, T., et al. (2015) Initial Geological Maps of the Ac-H-10 Rongo and Ac-H-15 Zadeni Quadrangles of Ceres using Dawn Spacecraft Data. Geological Society of America Fall Meeting, abstract 308-10. Platz, T., et al. (2015) Preliminary Geological Maps of the Ac-H-10 Rongo and Ac-H-15 Zadeni Quadrangles: An Integrated Mapping Study Using Dawn Spacecraft Data. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, abstract P53E-2177. Schmidt, B. E., et al. (2015) Geomorphological evidence for pervasive ground ice on Ceres from Dawn data. 47th DPS Fall Meeting, abstract 103.08. Sykes, M. V., et al. (2015) Common Mountain-Building Processes on Ceres and Pluto? 47th DPS Fall Meeting, abstract 212.06. Schmidt, B. E., et al. (2015) Geomorphological Evidence for Pervasive Ground Ice on Ceres from Dawn Observations of Craters and Flows. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, abstract P53E-2187. Travis, B., et al. (2015) Internal Convection on Ceres: A Possible Explanation for Dome Formation. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, abstract P53E-2192.

Outreach:

(1) Guest speaker, Pocahontas County Math Field Day, National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) Green Bank (2) Guest speaker, Physicists Inspiring the Next Generation (PING) 2015, NRAO-GB (3) NRAO-GB Science Lunch speaker, Dwarf Planets: New Results from New Horizons and Dawn