Data di Pubblicazione:
2019
Abstract:
Aims. We provide a detailed quantitative analysis of isolated boulder fields situated in three different regions of comet 67P/Churyumov-
Gerasimenko: Imhotep, Hapi, and Hatmehit. This is done to supply a useful method for analyzing the morphology of the boulders and
to characterize the regions themselves.
Methods. We used OSIRIS Narrow Angle Camera images with a spatial scale smaller than 2mpx1 and analyzed the size-frequency
distribution and the cumulative fractional area per boulder population. In addition, we correlated shape parameters, such as circularity
and solidity, with both the spatial and the size-frequency distribution of the three populations.
Results. We identified 11 811 boulders in the Imhotep, Hapi, and Hatmehit regions. We found that the Hatmehit and Imhotep areas
show power indices in the range of 2.3/2.7. These values could represent a transition between gravitational events caused by thermal
weathering and sublimation, and material formed during collapses that has undergone sublimation. The Hapi area is characterized by a
lower power index (1.2/1.7), suggesting that those boulders have a different origin. They can be the result of material formed during
gravitational events and collapses that has undergone continuous fragmentation. We calculated the cumulative fractional area (CFA)
in order to investigate how the area is covered by boulders as a function of their sizes. The Hatmehit and Imhotep regions show a CFA
that is well fit by a power law. In contrast, the Hapi area does not show the same trend. We analyzed the fractal distributions, finding
that the populations seem to be fractal at all dimensions, except for the Hapi distribution, which shows a possible fractal behavior for
small dimensions only. Finally, the average values of the shape parameters reveal solid and roundish boulders in all populations we
studied.
Gerasimenko: Imhotep, Hapi, and Hatmehit. This is done to supply a useful method for analyzing the morphology of the boulders and
to characterize the regions themselves.
Methods. We used OSIRIS Narrow Angle Camera images with a spatial scale smaller than 2mpx1 and analyzed the size-frequency
distribution and the cumulative fractional area per boulder population. In addition, we correlated shape parameters, such as circularity
and solidity, with both the spatial and the size-frequency distribution of the three populations.
Results. We identified 11 811 boulders in the Imhotep, Hapi, and Hatmehit regions. We found that the Hatmehit and Imhotep areas
show power indices in the range of 2.3/2.7. These values could represent a transition between gravitational events caused by thermal
weathering and sublimation, and material formed during collapses that has undergone sublimation. The Hapi area is characterized by a
lower power index (1.2/1.7), suggesting that those boulders have a different origin. They can be the result of material formed during
gravitational events and collapses that has undergone continuous fragmentation. We calculated the cumulative fractional area (CFA)
in order to investigate how the area is covered by boulders as a function of their sizes. The Hatmehit and Imhotep regions show a CFA
that is well fit by a power law. In contrast, the Hapi area does not show the same trend. We analyzed the fractal distributions, finding
that the populations seem to be fractal at all dimensions, except for the Hapi distribution, which shows a possible fractal behavior for
small dimensions only. Finally, the average values of the shape parameters reveal solid and roundish boulders in all populations we
studied.
Tipologia CRIS:
01.01 - Articolo in rivista
Elenco autori:
Cambianica, P.; Cremonese, G.; Naletto, G.; Lucchetti, A.; Pajola, M.; Penasa, L.; Simioni, E.; Massironi, M.; Ferrari, S.; Bodewits, D.; La Forgia, F.; Sierks, H.; Lamy, P. L.; Rodrigo, R.; Koschny, D.; Davidsson, B.; Barucci, M. A.; Bertaux, J. -L.; Bertini, I.; Da Deppo, V.; Debei, S.; De Cecco, M.; Deller, J.; Fornasier, S.; Fulle, M.; Gutiérrez, P. J.; Güttler, C.; Ip, W. -H.; Keller, H. U.; Lara, L. M.; Lazzarin, M.; Lin, Z. -Y.; López-Moreno, J. J.; Marzari, F.; Mottola, S.; Shi, X.; Scholten, F.; Toth, I.; Tubiana, C.; Vincent, J. -B.
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