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Effects of dispersed particulates on the rheology of water ice at planetary conditionsEffects of the initial grain size and the hard particulate impurities on the transient and the steady state flows of water ice I were investigated under laboratory conditions selected as appropriate for simulating those of the surfaces and interiors of large moons. The samples were molded with particulate volume fraction, phi, of 0.001 to 0.56 and particle sizes of 1 to 150 microns; deformation experiments were conducted at constant shortening rates of 4.4 x 10 exp -7 to 4.9 x 10 exp -4 per sec at pressures of 50 and 100 MPa and temperatures 77 to 223 K. The results obtained suggest that viscous drag occurs in the ice as it flows around hard particulates. Mixed-phase ice was found to be tougher than pure ice, extending the range of bulk plastic deformation vs. faulting to lower temperatures and higher strain rates. It is suggested that bulk planetary compositions of ice + rock (phi = 0.4-0.5) are roughly 2 orders of magnitude more viscous than pure ice, leading to thermal instability inside giant icy moons and possibly explaining the retention of crater topography on icy planetary surfaces.
Document ID
19930038722
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Durham, William B.
(Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Livermore, CA, United States)
Kirby, Stephen H.
(NASA Headquarters Washington, DC United States)
Stern, Laura A.
(USGS Menlo Park, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
December 25, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 97
Issue: E12
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Accession Number
93A22719
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: W-7405-ENG-48
CONTRACT_GRANT: NASA ORDER W-15070
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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