Showing papers by "Sean C. Solomon published in 2021"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report a globally distributed set of crustal blocks in the Venus lowlands that show evidence for having rotated and/or moved laterally relative to one another, akin to jostling pack ice.
Abstract: Venus has been thought to possess a globally continuous lithosphere, in contrast to the mosaic of mobile tectonic plates that characterizes Earth. However, the Venus surface has been extensively deformed, and convection of the underlying mantle, possibly acting in concert with a low-strength lower crust, has been suggested as a source of some surface horizontal strains. The extent of surface mobility on Venus driven by mantle convection, however, and the style and scale of its tectonic expression have been unclear. We report a globally distributed set of crustal blocks in the Venus lowlands that show evidence for having rotated and/or moved laterally relative to one another, akin to jostling pack ice. At least some of this deformation on Venus postdates the emplacement of the locally youngest plains materials. Lithospheric stresses calculated from interior viscous flow models consistent with long-wavelength gravity and topography are sufficient to drive brittle failure in the upper Venus crust in all areas where these blocks are present, confirming that interior convective motion can provide a mechanism for driving deformation at the surface. The limited but widespread lithospheric mobility of Venus, in marked contrast to the tectonic styles indicative of a static lithosphere on Mercury, the Moon, and Mars, may offer parallels to interior-surface coupling on the early Earth, when global heat flux was substantially higher, and the lithosphere generally thinner, than today.
27 citations
23 citations
TL;DR: Hansen V. L. et al. as discussed by the authors showed a set of lenticular landforms along the northern margin of Ovda Regio that we interpret as periclinal folds.
Abstract: 1707. [12] Banks B. K. and Hansen V. L. (2000) JGR, 105, 17,655–17,667. [13] Ghent R. and Hansen V. L. (2005) Icarus, 139, 116–136. [14] Cofrade G. et al. (2019) Planet. Space Sci., 178, 104706. [15] Ford P. G. and Pettengill G. H. (1992) JGR, 97, 13,103–13,114. [16] Herrick R. R. et al. (2012) Eos, 93, 125–126. [17] Molinaro M. et al. (2005) Tectonics, 24, TC3007. [18] Li J. et al. (2016) JGR, 121, 3048–3080. [19] Ramsey J. G. (1967) Folding and Fracturing of Rocks. McGraw-Hill, New York. [20] Hansen V. L. and Willis J. J. (1996) Icarus, 123, 296–312. [21] Greeley R. et al. (1984) Icarus, 57, 112–124. [22] Craddock R. A. (2011) Prog. Phys. Geog., 36, 110–124. [23] Selivanov A. S. et al. (1982) Sov. Astron. Lett., 8, 235–236. [24] Carvalho F. P. et al. (2011) ICE J. Mar. Sci., 68, 427–435. [25] McKinnon W. B. et al. (1997) in Venus II (Bougher S. W. et al., eds.), Univ. Ariz. Press, pp. 969–1014. [26] Hansen V. L. et al. (1999) Geology, 27, 1071–1074. [27] Basilevsky A. T. et al. (1985) GSA Bull., 96, 137–144. [28] Ingersoll A. P. (1969) J. Atmos. Sci., 26, 1191–1198. Figure 2: (a) A set of lenticular landforms along the northern margin of Ovda Regio that we interpret as periclinal folds. The image is in orthographic projection, centered at 0.5°N, 80.5°E; Radar look direction is from the left. (b) Periclines in southeast Sichuan basin, China (arrows mark two examples). Image is in orthographic projection, centered at 30°N, 107°E. 2514.pdf 51st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2020)
19 citations
Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory1, Columbia University2, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration3, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences4, Weizmann Institute of Science5, University of Tasmania6, University of Reading7, Johns Hopkins University8, National Center for Atmospheric Research9, University of Exeter10, Massachusetts Institute of Technology11, University of New South Wales12
TL;DR: In this article, the authors show that many models are able to capture this relationship between the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) and sea ice, but also emphasize that the SAM only explains a small fraction of the year-to-year variability.
Abstract: The expansion of Antarctic sea ice since 1979 in the presence of increasing greenhouse gases remains one of the most puzzling features of current climate change. Some studies have proposed that the formation of the ozone hole, via the Southern Annular Mode, might explain that expansion, and a recent study highlighted a robust causal link between summertime Southern Annular Mode (SAM) anomalies and sea ice anomalies in the subsequent autumn. Here we show that many models are able to capture this relationship between the SAM and sea ice, but also emphasize that the SAM only explains a small fraction of the year-to-year variability. Finally, examining multidecadal trends, in models and observations, we confirm the findings of several previous studies and conclude that the SAM – and thus the ozone hole – are not the primary drivers of the sea ice expansion around Antarctica in recent decades.
9 citations
Marshall Space Flight Center1, University of Notre Dame2, Southwest Research Institute3, University of Maryland, College Park4, California Institute of Technology5, Jet Propulsion Laboratory6, University of California, Los Angeles7, Goddard Space Flight Center8, University of California, Santa Cruz9, Honeybee Robotics10, IPG Photonics11, Texas Tech University12, University of Texas at Austin13, United States Geological Survey14, Smithsonian Institution15, University of Arizona16, Johnson State College17, American President Lines18, Geoscience Australia19, University of Illinois at Chicago20, University of Central Florida21, Case Western Reserve University22, University of Texas at El Paso23, Michigan State University24, MVJ College of Engineering25, ETH Zurich26, Louisiana State University27, Linux Professional Institute28, University of Alabama in Huntsville29, Columbia University30, Stanford University31, Johns Hopkins University32, University of Aizu33, Massachusetts Institute of Technology34
7 citations
Brown University1, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory2, University of Twente3, INAF4, Arecibo Observatory5, Ames Research Center6, University of Bern7, Southwest Research Institute8, Georgia Institute of Technology9, Boston University10, University of Georgia11, Princeton University12, Arizona State University13, Lunar and Planetary Institute14, University of Hawaii at Manoa15, Goddard Space Flight Center16, Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University17, University of Bristol18, York University19, Planetary Science Institute20, University of Central Florida21, New Mexico State University22, Stanford University23, University of Texas at San Antonio24, University of Colorado Boulder25, Finnish Geodetic Institute26, Wichita State University27, California Institute of Technology28, Purdue University29, North Carolina State University30, Baylor University31, Columbia University32, Indian Space Research Organisation33, Case Western Reserve University34, ETH Zurich35, Durham University36
1 citations