STFC PhD Studentship - Secondary Impact craters

Natural History Museum; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 15,000 - 20,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading science research institution in the UK seeks a PhD student for a project on secondary impact craters as stratigraphic markers on Mars and the Moon. Candidates should have a strong background in geosciences, along with skills in remote sensing, GIS software, and programming languages. The role involves conducting advanced research to refine crater identification methods and apply them to planetary science, aiding future mission planning for Mars and lunar exploration.

Qualifications

• Background in geology or planetary science is preferred.
• Experience in remote sensing and GIS is desirable.
• Familiarity with numerical modelling techniques.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research on secondary impact craters as stratigraphic markers.
• Utilize advanced GIS software and programming tools.
• Develop modern applications for planetary surface analysis.

Skills

Remote sensing data analysis

GIS software (ArcGIS, ENVI, SocetSet)

Numerical modelling

Programming languages (iSALE, Python)

Geosciences background

Education

Relevant undergraduate degree

Tools

GIS software

Python

iSALE

Job description

Project Overview

Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) funded PhD Studentship on 'Secondary Impact Craters as Absolute Stratigraphic Markers at Landing Sites on Mars and the Moon'. This project will use techniques from different disciplines, providing the student with training in remote sensing data for Mars and the Moon, GIS software (ArcGIS, ENVI, SocetSet), and numerical modelling and programming languages (iSALE, Python). The project would suit an enthusiastic individual with a background in geosciences in general, and geology and/or planetary science in particular.

Stratigraphy is at the heart of understanding the evolution of all solid planetary bodies. Beyond the Earth, despite being arguably the most important factor, time is inherently difficult to determine. The limited number of samples available for detailed geochronological analysis in laboratories severely limits the locations in the Solar System for which we have absolute ages. Instead, planetary science is rooted in applying superposition theory (relative ages) and extrapolated impact crater chronologies ('crater counting'). The only way to derive an age of a planetary surface through remote sensing methods is through crater size‑frequency distribution (CSFD) analysis, a powerful, widely applicable, and common technique across the entire Solar System, but one that has been inherently limited to studies of sufficiently large areas. This project will exploit the secondary crater population as absolute stratigraphic markers, to make new insights into a range of processes on Mars and the Moon. The project will refine the method for identifying primary and secondary craters on planetary surfaces, before developing a modern application of secondary impact craters as absolute stratigraphic markers.

Project Components

• Secondary impacts at the Rosalind Franklin rover landing site. The European Space Agency (ESA) Rosalind Franklin rover will launch in 2028. The main rock types for in situ exploration in the landing site in Oxia Planum likely formed almost 4 billion years ago. Understanding the relative and absolute age of all geological units in the landing site is crucial for both mission planning and deciphering the geological history of this area. This part of the project will identify secondary craters in Oxia Planum and determine a formation age for candidate primary craters. It will provide the first attempt to bracket the formation age of geological units and processes in the landing site through the use of secondary craters.
• Quantify secondary cratering at the Artemis III landing sites. Using secondary craters to indirectly date distant features was used successfully during the Apollo missions, to determine the ages of both the Copernicus and Tycho impact events. This project will use a similar theory refined for the possible future Artemis III landing sites in order to: (1) identify potential source regions for material brought into the landing sites through impact ejecta processes, to better understand possible chemical mixing processes, and (2) where possible, provide absolute ages to geological units in the exploration areas.
• Refine numerical models linking primary and secondary craters. Identifying secondary craters, and their associated primaries, is not trivial. At relatively short distances from their primaries, secondaries often show distinctive elements of asymmetry (e.g. depth, crater rim height, ejecta distribution); however, at relatively large distances, these diagnostic features are usually not present. This project will refine methods of identifying secondary craters, and their associated primary craters, using machine‑learning crater identification, GIS‑based clustering methods, and numerical impact modelling using a shock physics code.