Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets Archives - Astrobiology

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images of Ligeia Mare and Ontario Lacus obtained by the Cassini Spacecraft (NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Cornell) and corresponding lake bathymetry. (a) Ontario Lacus: SAR image collected on 12 Jan. 2010 centered at 72°S 183°W. Image ID: PIA13172. Red circled region indicates potential smooth wave-modified coast (Palermo et al., 2024; Wall et al., 2010); (b) Ligeia Mare: a mosaic of SAR images collected between February 2006 and April 2007 and combined to create image PIA17031 centered at 79°N 248°W. Locations of a potential straight wave-modified coast (Wall et al., 2010) and the location of the magic island observations (Hofgartner et al., 2014, 2016) are annotated; SAR-based bathymetric maps of (c) Ontario Lacus and (d) Ligeia Mare (Hayes, 2016) were used as inputs to our wave model. -- Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Modeling the Seasonality of Wind-Driven Hydrocarbon Waves in Titan’s Polar Lakes

by Keith CowingJune 5, 2026June 5, 2026

Titan, the only body in the solar system aside from Earth with standing liquids on its surface, has high-latitude hydrocarbon lakes and seas. As Titan’s atmosphere generates light winds, there […]

Colorized HiRISE map of the western edge of Jezero crater with rover traverse. The colors of the traverse indicate the location of different science campaigns with green showing the Crater Floor campaign (Section 2.1), orange showing the Fan Front campaign (Section 2.2), blue showing the Upper Fan campaign (Section 2.2), and pink showing the Margin Unit campaign (Section 2.4). Black arrows indicate the location of two investigations on boulders (Section 2.3). Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) scans are indicated by either a square, triangle, or circle, indicating data collected on a natural surface target, an abrasion patch, or an abrasion patch where a sample was also collected, respectively. Sols associated with the triangles and circles indicate when the rover was at that location. The location of Three Forks Depot is shown by a star for reference. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report

Multiple Episodes of Fluid Alteration in Jezero Crater Indicated by MIST Mineral Identifications in PIXL XRF Data

by Keith CowingSeptember 23, 2025September 23, 2025

The Mineral Identification by Stoichiometry (MIST) algorithm can identify mineral species in geochemical data sets. MIST is applied to X-ray fluorescence chemical analyses from the Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry […]

Location of candidate landing sites AP-1, AP-8, and AP-9 (red circles) and ice-exposed impact crater (light blue diamond). Basemap: CTX (Context Camera) mosaic provided by the Murray Lab (Dickson et al., 2018); top right: Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter ( MOLA) globe for context.

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Life Support Systems, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Status Report

Geomorphological Evidence of Near‐Surface Ice at Candidate Landing Sites in Northern Amazonis Planitia, Mars

by Keith CowingJune 23, 2025June 23, 2025

This work presents geomorphological analyses of an area at the boundary between Arcadia Planitia and northern Amazonis Planitia, situated in the northern mid-latitudes of Mars.

Cartoon illustrating the physical configuration for sustaining a hydrothermal siphon, with primary driving and resistive forces as applied in this study. Terms are discussed in text and combined in Equation 2. ∆Pv (>0) is primary driving energy in simulations, based on differences in temperature and density between recharging and discharging columns of pore fluid. ∆PR, ∆PD, ∆PC, and ∆PL (≤0) are pressure (energy) losses, depending on formation properties and the extent of secondary convection. ∆Psiph is what remains of ∆Pv after accounting for loss terms, available to drive siphon flow. s = sediment/conductive boundary layer, bu = upper rocky layer, ba = aquifer layer. This cartoon neglects other potential driving forces such as tidal pumping and buoyancy generated by exothermic reactions. -- Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gravitational Biology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Sustaining Hydrothermal Circulation With Gravity Relevant to Ocean Worlds

by Keith CowingJune 28, 2024June 28, 2024

Some ocean worlds may sustain active, seafloor hydrothermal systems, but the characteristics and controls on fluid-heat transport in these systems are not well understood.