Evidence for thermokarst depressions on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko: An interplanetary comparison

• Published in: Astronomy & Astrophysics
• Main Authors: Bouquety, A., Groussin, O., Jorda, L., Séjourné, A., Costard, F., Bouley, S.
• Other Authors: Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Géosciences Paris Saclay (GEOPS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2022
• Subjects: comets: individual: 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko; methods: data analysis; planets and satellites: surfaces; [PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]; Quadrangle; Ice; permafrost; Thermokarst
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03700120; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03700120/document; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03700120/file/aa42417-21.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202142417

International audience Aims. The nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P) is ice rich and shows evidence of morphologies driven by sublimation processes. In particular, the fine-particle deposits (FPD) that cover its surface reveal depressions of many tens of meters. A detailed analysis of t...