Thermal Fracturing on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Abstract
We simulate the stresses induced by seasonal temperature changes in a hard layer near the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko with a thermo-viscoelastic model. We show that a hard, icy layer will experience large stresses, which far exceed its material strength down to depths of tens of centimetres to metres (0.5 m in our nominal case). This result is constant across all cometary latitudes and agrees well with the detection of meter-scale thermal fracturing all-over the comet. Thermal fracturing may be an important erosion process on cometary surfaces.
- Publication:
-
European Planetary Science Congress
- Pub Date:
- September 2017
- Bibcode:
- 2017EPSC...11...35A