Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Lineaments on the Surface of the Consolidated Material of the Comet 67P/Churyumov−Gerasimenko Nucleus

  • Published:
Solar System Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Morphologic analysis of the fragments (500 × 500 pixels) of images of comet 67P/Churyumov− Gerasimenko obtained with the OSIRIS camera for 18 regions, where the consolidated material is exposed on the surface, has been carried out. In terms of resolution, the images form a series from 0.04 to 1.29 m/pixel; consequently, the areas covered by these fragments vary from 400 to ~400000 m2. In all of the regions, lineaments resembling tension fractures—several dozens of structures per region—are seen; and their number scarcely changes when passing from high-resolution images to lower-resolution ones. It is clear that relatively small lineaments cease to be reliably distinguished when the image resolution worsens, but the largest and well-defined ones remain observable, while the number of larger lineaments grows proportionally to the survey area increasing. Undoubtedly, this is an observational effect, which was demonstrated by examples with an artificially worsened resolution. However, on the other hand, this means that the tension fractures of the consolidated nucleus material represent a hierarchic population of smaller (meters long) to larger (decameters and longer) features. The lineaments seen in the analyzed fragments of images were counted, their lengths were measured, and the spacings (the mean distances between lineaments) and, from them, the depths of penetration of fractures into the nucleus material were estimated. It has been shown that the mean length of lineaments within each studied region depends on its area (which here correlates with the image resolution) and the depths of fracture penetration into the nucleus body depends on the mean length of lineaments. Both dependences are close to a power law. In the images of four regions covering the areas from 100000 to 400000 m2 with a resolution of 0.66−1.29 m/pixel, the structures that look like layering or sheet jointing are seen in addition to fracture lineaments. The tension fractures are apparently formed due to seasonal and diurnal variations of the temperature, while the nature of the formation of the layer-like structures is not yet fully understood.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • A’Hearn, M.F., Belton, M.G.S., Delamere, W.A., Kissel, J., Klaasen, K.P., McFadden, L.A., Meech, K.J., Melosh, H.J., Schultz, P.H., Sunshine, J.M., and 22 coauthors, Deep impact: excavating comet Tempel 1, Science, 2005, vol. 310, pp. 258–264. doi 10.1126/science.1118923

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Auger, A.-T., Groussin, O., Jorda, L., El-Maarry, M.R., Bouley, S., Séjourné, A., Gaskell, R., Capanna, C., Davidsson, B., Marchi, S., and 41 coauthors, Meterscale thermal contraction crack polygons on the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Icarus, 2018, vol. 301, pp. 173–188. doi 10.1016/j.icarus.2017.09.037

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Basilevsky, A.T. and Keller, H.U., Craters, smooth terrains, flows, and layering on the comet Nuclei, Sol. Syst. Res., 2007, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 109–117. doi 10.1134/S0038094607020037

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Basilevsky, B.T., Krasil’nikov, S.S., Shiryaev, A.A., Mall, U., Keller, H.U., Skorov, Yu.V., Mottola, S., and Hviid, S.F., Estimating the strength of the nucleus material of comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Sol. Syst. Res., 2016, vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 225–234. doi 10.1134/S0038094616040018

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Basilevsky, A.T., Mall, U., Keller, H.U., Skorov, Yu.V., Hviid, S.F., Mottola, S., Krasilnikov, S.S., and Dabrowski, B., Geologic analysis of the Rosetta NavCam, Osiris and ROLIS images of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko nucleus, Planet. Space Sci., 2017, vol. 137, pp. 1–19. doi 10.1016/j.pss.2017.01.002

    Google Scholar 

  • Belton, M.J.S., Thomas, P., Veverka, J., Schultz, P., A’Hearn, M.F., Feaga, L., Farnham, T., Groussin, O., Li, J.-Ya., Lisse, C., McFadden, L., Sunshine, J., Meech, K.J., Delamere, W.A., and Kissel, J., The internal structure of Jupiter family cometary nuclei from Deep Impact observations: the “talps” or “layered pile” model, Icarus, 2007, vol. 187, pp. 332–344. doi 10.1016/j.icarus.2006.09.005

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Belton, M.J.S. and Melosh, J., Fluidization and multiphase transport of particulate cometary material as an explanation of the smooth terrains and repetitive outbursts on 9P/Tempel 1, Icarus, 2009, vol. 200, pp. 280–291. doi 10.1016/j.icarus.2008.11.012

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Britt, D.T., Boice, D.T., Buratti, B.J., Campins, N., Nelson, R.M., Oberst, J., Sandel, B.R., Stern, S.A., Soderblom, L.A., and Thomas, N., The morphology and surface processes of comet 19/P Borrelly, Icarus, 2004, vol. 167, pp. 45–53. doi 10.1016/j.icarus.2003.09.004

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Brownlee, D.E., Horz, F., Newburn, R.L., Zolensky, M., Duxbury, T.C., Sandford, S., Sekanina, Z., Tsou, P., Hanner, M.S., Clark, B.C., Green, S.F., and Kissel, J., Surface of young Jupiter family comet 81P/Wild 2: view from the Stardust spacecraft, Science, 2004, vol. 304, pp. 1764–1769. doi 10.1126/science.1097899

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Corte, A. and Higashi, A., Experimental Research on Desiccation Cracks in Soil: Research Report No. 66, Wilmette, Ill: US Army Snow, Ice Permafrost Res. Establishment, 1964, p. 72.

    Google Scholar 

  • El-Maarry, M.R., Watters, W., McKeown, N.K., Carter, J., Noe Dobrea, E., Bishop, J.L., Pommerol, A., and Thomas, N., Potential desiccation cracks on Mars: a synthesis from modeling, analogue-field studies, and global observations, Icarus, 2014, vol. 241, pp. 248–268. doi 10.1016/j.icarus.2014.06.033

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • El-Maarry, M.R., Thomas, N., Gracia-Bern, A., Marschall, R., Auger, A.-T., Groussin, O., Mottola, S., Pajola, M., Massironi, M., Marchi, S., et al., Fractures on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko observed by Rosetta/OSIRIS, Geophys. Rev. Lett., 2015, vol. 42, no. 13, pp. 5170–5178. doi 10.1002/2015GL064500

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Giacomini, L., Massironi, M., El-Maarry, M.R., Penasa, L., Pajola, M., Thomas, N., Lowry, S.C., Barbieri, C., Cremonese, G., Ferri, F., and 46 coauthors, Geologic mapping of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko’s northern hemisphere, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 2016, vol. 462, pp. S352–S367. doi 10.1093/mnras/stw2848

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Groussin, O., Jorda, L., Auger, A.-T., Kührt, E., Gaskell, R., Capanna, C., Scholten, F., Preusker, F., Lamy, P., Hviid, S., and 42 coauthors, Gravitational slopes, geomorphology and material strengths of the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from OSIRIS observations, Astron. Astrophys., 2015, vol. 583, pp. 1–12. doi 10.1051/0004-6361/201526379

    Google Scholar 

  • Gudmundsson, A., Geometry, formation and development of tectonic fractures on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Southwest Iceland, Tectonophysics, 1987, vol. 139, pp. 295–308. doi 10.1016/0040-1951(87)90103-X

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, H.U., Lamy, P., Rickman, H., Rodrigo, R., Wenzel, K.-P., Sierks, H., A’Hearn, M.F., Angrilli, F., Angulo, M., and 59 coauthors, OSIRIS–the scientific camera system onboard Rosetta, Space Sci. Rev., 2007, vol. 128, pp. 433–506. doi 10.1007/s11214-006-9128-4

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, H.U., Mottola, S., Hviid, S.F., Agarwal, J., Kührt, E., Skorov, Y., Otto, K., Vincent, J.-B., Oklay, N., Schröder, S.E., and 40 coauthors, Seasonal mass transfer on the nucleus of comet 67P/Chuyumov-Gerasimenko, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 2017, vol. 469, suppl. 2, pp. S357–S371. doi 10.1093/mnras/stx1726

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lachenbruch, A.H., Depth and spacing of tension cracks, J. Geophys. Res., 1961, vol. 66, no. 12, pp. 4273–4292. doi 10.1029/JZ066i012p04273

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Lachenbruch, A.H., Mechanics of thermal contraction cracks and ice-wedge polygons in permafrost, Geol. Soc. Am. Spec. Pap., 1962, vol. 70, pp. 1–66. https://doi.org/specialpapers.gsapubs.org/content/70/1.full.pdf+html. doi 10.1130/SPE70-p1

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasue, J., Botet, R., Levasseur-Regourd, A.C., and Hadamcik, E., Cometary nuclei internal structure from early aggregation simulations, Icarus, 2009, vol. 203, pp. 599–609. doi 10.1016/j.icarus.2009.05.013

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Massironi, M., Simioni, E., Marzari, F., Cremonese, G., Giacomini, L., Pajola, M., Jorda, L., Naletto, G., Lowry, S., El-Maarry, M.R., and 50 coauthors, Two independent and primitive envelopes of the bilobate nucleus of comet 67P, Nature, 2015, vol. 526, pp. 402–405. doi 10.1038/nature15511

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Neal, J.T., Langer, A.M., and Kerr, P.F., Giant desiccation polygons of Great Basin Playas, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 1968, vol. 79, no. 1, p. 69. doi 10.1130/0016- 7606(1968)79[69:GDPOGB]2.0.CO;2

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Nur, A., The origin of tensile fracture lineaments, J. Struct. Geol., 1982, vol. 4, pp. 31–40. doi 10.1016/0191- 8141(82)90004-9

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Parker, A.P., Stability of arrays of multiple edge cracks, Eng. Fract. Mech., 1999, vol. 62, no. 6, pp. 577–591. doi 10.1016/S0013-7944(98)00110-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sierks, H., Barbieri, C., Lamy, P.L., Rodrigo, R., Koschny, D., Rickman, H., Keller, H.U., Agarwal, J., A’Hearn, M.F., Angrilli, F., and 56 coauthors, On the nucleus structure and activity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Science, 2015, vol. 347, no. 6220, p. aaa1044–1–5. doi 10.1126/science.aaa1044

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skorov, Yu.V., Rezac, L., Hartogh, P., Bazilevsky, A.T., and Keller, H.U., A model of short-lived outbursts on the 67P/CG from fractured terrains, Astron. Astrophys., 2016, vol. 593, art. ID A76. doi 10.1051/0004-6361/201628365

  • Taylor, G.G.T., Altobelli, N., Buratti, B.J., and Choukroun, M., The Rosetta mission orbiter science overview: the comet phase, Philos. Trans. R. Soc., A, 2017, vol. 375, p. 20160262. doi 10.1098/rsta.2016.0262

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, P.C., Veverka, J., Belton, M.J.S., Hidy, A., A’Hearn, M.F., Farnham, T.L., Groussin, O., Li, J.-Y., McFadden, L.A., Sunshine, J., Wellnitz, D., Lisse, C., Schultz, P., Meech, K.J., and Delamere, W.A., The shape, topography and geology of Tempel 1 from Deep Impact observations, Icarus, 2007, vol. 187, pp. 4–15. doi 10.1016/j.icarus.2006.12.013

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, P.C., A’Hearn, M., Belton, M.J.S., Brownlee, D., Carcich, B., Hermalyn, B., Klaasen, K., Sackett, S., Schultz, P.H., Veverka, J., and Bhaskaran, S., The nucleus of Comet 9P/Tempel 1: shape and geology from two flybys, Icarus, 2013, vol. 222, pp. 453–466. doi 10.1016/j.icarus.2012.02.037

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, N., Sierks, H., Barbieri, C., Lamy, P.L., Rodrigo, R., Rickman, H., Koschny, D., Keller, H.U., Agarwal, J., A’Hearn, M.F., and 51 coauthors, The morphological diversity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Science, 2015, vol. 347, no. 6220, p. aaa0440–1–6. doi 10.1126/science.aaa0440

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    A. T. Basilevsky & S. S. Krasilnikov

  2. Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen, 37077, Germany

    A. T. Basilevsky, Yu. V. Skorov, S. S. Krasilnikov & U. Mall

  3. German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute for Planetary Research, D 12489, Berlin, Germany

    S. F. Hviid

  4. Institute for Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics, TU Braunschweig, Braunschweig, 38106, Germany

    H. U. Keller

Authors
  1. A. T. Basilevsky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yu. V. Skorov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S. F. Hviid
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. S. S. Krasilnikov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. U. Mall
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. H. U. Keller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. T. Basilevsky.

Additional information

Original Russian Text © A.T. Basilevsky, Yu.V. Skorov, S.F. Hviid, S.S. Krasilnikov, U. Mall, H.U. Keller, 2018, published in Astronomicheskii Vestnik, 2018, Vol. 52, No. 6, pp. 521–533.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Basilevsky, A.T., Skorov, Y.V., Hviid, S.F. et al. Lineaments on the Surface of the Consolidated Material of the Comet 67P/Churyumov−Gerasimenko Nucleus. Sol Syst Res 52, 505–517 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0038094618060011

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0038094618060011

Keywords

Search

Navigation