Fast boulder fracturing by thermal fatigue detected on stony asteroids.
Journal
Nature communications
ISSN: 2041-1723
Titre abrégé: Nat Commun
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101528555
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
30 Jul 2024
30 Jul 2024
Historique:
received:
22
09
2023
accepted:
09
05
2024
medline:
31
7
2024
pubmed:
31
7
2024
entrez:
30
7
2024
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Spacecraft observations revealed that rocks on carbonaceous asteroids, which constitute the most numerous class by composition, can develop millimeter-to-meter-scale fractures due to thermal stresses. However, signatures of this process on the second-most populous group of asteroids, the S-complex, have been poorly constrained. Here, we report observations of boulders' fractures on Dimorphos, which is the moonlet of the S-complex asteroid (65803) Didymos, the target of NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) planetary defense mission. We show that the size-frequency distribution and orientation of the mapped fractures are consistent with formation through thermal fatigue. The fractures' preferential orientation supports that these have originated in situ on Dimorphos boulders and not on Didymos boulders later transferred to Dimorphos. Based on our model of the fracture propagation, we propose that thermal fatigue on rocks exposed on the surface of S-type asteroids can form shallow, horizontally propagating fractures in much shorter timescales (100 kyr) than in the direction normal to the boulder surface (order of Myrs). The presence of boulder fields affected by thermal fracturing on near-Earth asteroid surfaces may contribute to an enhancement in the ejected mass and momentum from kinetic impactors when deflecting asteroids.
Identifiants
pubmed: 39080275
doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-50145-y
pii: 10.1038/s41467-024-50145-y
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
6206Informations de copyright
© 2024. The Author(s).
Références
Delbo, M. et al. Thermal fatigue as the origin of regolith on small asteroids. Nature 508, 233–236 (2014).
pubmed: 24695219
doi: 10.1038/nature13153
Molaro, J. L., Byrne, S. & Le, J. L. Thermally induced stresses in boulders on airless body surfaces, and implications for rock breakdown. Icarus 294, 247–261 (2017).
doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2017.03.008
Eppes, M. C., Willis, A., Molaro, J., Abernathy, S. & Zhou, B. Cracks in Martian boulders exhibit preferred orientations that point to solar-induced thermal stress. Nat. Commun. 6, 6712 (2015).
pubmed: 25813699
doi: 10.1038/ncomms7712
Ruesch, O. et al. In situ fragmentation of lunar blocks and implications for impacts and solar-induced thermal stresses. Icarus 336, 113431 (2020).
doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2019.113431
Molaro, J. L., Byrne, S. & Langer, S. A. Grain-scale thermoelastic stresses and spatiotemporal temperature gradients on airless bodies, implications for rock breakdown. J. Geophys. Res. Planets 120, 255–277 (2015).
doi: 10.1002/2014JE004729
McFadden, L. D., Eppes, M. C., Gillespie, A. R. & Hallet, B. Physical weathering in arid landscapes due to diurnal variation in the direction of solar heating. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 117, 161–173 (2005).
doi: 10.1130/B25508.1
Eppes, M. C., McFadden, L. D., Wegmann, K. W. & Scuderi, L. A. Cracks in desert pavement rocks: Further insights into mechanical weathering by directional insolation. Geomorphology 123, 97–108 (2010).
doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.07.003
Lauretta, D. S. et al. The unexpected surface of asteroid (101955) Bennu. Nature 568, 55–60 (2019).
pubmed: 30890786
pmcid: 6557581
doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1033-6
Watanabe, S. et al. Hayabusa2 arrives at the carbonaceous asteroid 162173 Ryugu—a spinning top–shaped rubble pile. Science 364, 268–272 (2019).
pubmed: 30890588
doi: 10.1126/science.aav8032
Molaro, J. L. et al. “In situ evidence of thermally induced rock breakdown widespread on Bennu’s surface.”. Nat. Commun. 11, 2913 (2020).
pubmed: 32518333
pmcid: 7283247
doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-16528-7
Delbo, M. et al. Alignment of fractures on Bennu’s boulders indicative of rapid asteroid surface evolution. Nat. Geosci. 15, 453–457 (2022).
doi: 10.1038/s41561-022-00940-3
Sasaki, S. et al. Crack orientations of boulders and thermal fatigue on (162173) Ryugu. 43rd COSPAR Scientific Assembly, 270 (2021).
Cambioni, S. et al. Fine-regolith production on asteroids controlled by rock porosity. Nature 598, 49–52 (2021).
pubmed: 34616055
doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03816-5
Buczkowski, D. L., Barnouin-Jha, O. S. & Prockter, L. M. 433 Eros lineaments: global mapping and analysis. Icarus 193, 39–52 (2008).
doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2007.06.028
Nakamura, A. M. et al. Impact process of boulders on the surface of asteroid 25143 Itokawa—fragments from collisional disruption. Earth Planets Space 60, 7–12 (2008).
doi: 10.1186/BF03352756
El Mir, C., Ramesh, K. T. & Delbo, M. The efficiency of thermal fatigue in regolith generation on small airless bodies. Icarus 333, 356–370 (2019).
doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2019.06.001
De Léon, J. et al. Spectral analysis and mineralogical characterization of 11 olivine–pyroxene rich NEAs. Adv. Space Res. 37, 178–183 (2006).
doi: 10.1016/j.asr.2005.05.074
De León, J. et al. Observations, compositional, and physical characterization of near-Earth and Mars-crosser asteroids from a spectroscopic survey. Astron. Astrophys. 517, A23 (2010).
doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/200913852
Ieva, S. et al. “Spectral rotational characterization of the Didymos system prior to the DART impact.”. Planet. Sci. J. 3, 183 (2022).
doi: 10.3847/PSJ/ac7f34
Dunn, T. L. et al. Mineralogies and source regions of near-Earth asteroids. Icarus 222, 273–282 (2013).
doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2012.11.007
Walsh, K. J. & Jacobson, S. A. Formation and evolution of binary asteroids. In Asteroids IV (eds Michel, P. et al.) 375–393. (Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, 2015).
Pajola, M. et al. Anticipated geological assessment of the (65803) didymos–dimorphos system, target of the DART–LICIACube mission. Planet. Sci. J. 3, 210 (2022).
doi: 10.3847/PSJ/ac880d
Barnouin, O. S. et al. The geology and evolution of the Near-Earth binary asteroid system (65803) Didymos. Nat. Commun. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-50146-x (2024).
Fletcher, Z. J. et al. Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for OpNav (DRACO): design, fabrication, test, and operation. In Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2022: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, Vol. 12180 (SPIE, 2022).
Daly, R. T. et al. Successful kinetic impact into an asteroid for planetary defence. Nature 616, 443–447 (2023).
pubmed: 36858073
pmcid: 10115643
doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-05810-5
Cheng, A. F. et al. Momentum transfer from the DART mission kinetic impact on asteroid Dimorphos. Nature 616, 457–460 (2023).
pubmed: 36858075
pmcid: 10115652
doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-05878-z
Chabot, N. et al. Achievement of the planetary defense investigations of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission. Planet. Sci. J. 5, 49 (2024).
Statler, T. S. et al. After DART: using the first full-scale test of a kinetic impactor to inform a future planetary defense mission. Planet. Sci. J. 3, 244 (2022).
doi: 10.3847/PSJ/ac94c1
Flynn, G. J. et al. Limits on asteroid kinetic impact deflection from hypervelocity cratering. 84th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society, No. 2609, Vol. 84 (2021).
Ernst, C. M. et al. The Small Body Mapping Tool (SBMT) for accessing, visualizing, and analyzing spacecraft data in three dimensions. 49th Annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. No. 2083 (2018).
Clauset, A., Shalizi, C. R. & Newman, M. E. Power-law distributions in empirical data. SIAM Rev. 51, 661–703 (2009).
doi: 10.1137/070710111
Matonti, C. et al. Bilobate comet morphology and internal structure controlled by shear deformation. Nat. Geosci. 12, 157–162 (2019).
doi: 10.1038/s41561-019-0307-9
Giuffrida, A. et al. Fracture simulation parameters of fractured reservoirs: analogy with outcropping carbonates of the Inner Apulian Platform, southern Italy. J. Struct. Geol. 123, 18–41 (2019).
doi: 10.1016/j.jsg.2019.02.007
Nakano, R. & Hirabayashi, M. Finite element method approach 3-dimensional thermophysical model for YORP torque computation. Icarus 404, 115647 (2023).
doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2023.115647
Rivkin, A. et al. Near to mid-infrared spectroscopy of (65803) Didymos with JWST: characterization observations supporting the double asteroid redirection test. Planet. Sci. J. 4, 214 (2023).
doi: 10.3847/PSJ/ad04d8
Rozitis et al. Observing the variation of asteroid thermal inertia with heliocentric distance. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 477, 1782–1802 (2018).
doi: 10.1093/mnras/sty640
Cambioni, S. et al. Constraining the thermal properties of planetary surfaces using machine learning: application to airless bodies. Icarus 325, 16–30 (2019).
doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2019.01.017
Richardson, D. C. et al. Predictions for the dynamical states of the Didymos system before and after the planned DART impact. Planet. Sci. J. 3, 157 (2022).
doi: 10.3847/PSJ/ac76c9
Nakamura, T. et al. Itokawa dust particles: a direct link between S-type asteroids and ordinary chondrites. Science 333, 1113–1116 (2011).
pubmed: 21868667
doi: 10.1126/science.1207758
Bryson, K. L., Ostrowski, D. R. & Blasizzo, A. Meteorite flaws and scaling for atmospheric entry. Plant. Space Sci. 164, 85–90 (2018).
doi: 10.1016/j.pss.2018.06.018
Trógolo, Nair et al. Lifted particles from the fast spinning primary of the near-Earth asteroid (65803) Didymos. Icarus 397, 115521 (2023).
doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2023.115521
Richardson, D. C. The dynamical state of the Didymos system before and after the DART impact. Planet. Sci. J. 3, 157 (2022).
doi: 10.3847/PSJ/ac76c9
Ravaji, B., Ali-Lagoa, V., Delbo, M. & Wilkerson, J. W. Unraveling the mechanics of thermal stress weathering: rate-effects, size-effects, and scaling laws. J. Geophys. Res. Planets 124, 3304–3328 (2019).
doi: 10.1029/2019JE006019
Granvik, M. et al. Super-catastrophic disruption of asteroids at small perihelion distances. Nature 530, 303–306 (2016).
pubmed: 26887492
doi: 10.1038/nature16934
Lauretta, D. S. et al. Episodes of particle ejection from the surface of the active asteroid (101955) Bennu. Science 366, eaay6470 (2019).
doi: 10.1126/science.aay3544
Raducan, S. D., Davison, T. M. & Collins, G. S. The effects of asteroid layering on ejecta mass-velocity distribution and implications for impact momentum transfer. Planet. Space Sci. 180, 104756 (2020).
doi: 10.1016/j.pss.2019.104756
Stickle, A. M. et al. Effects of impact and target parameters on the results of a kinetic impactor: predictions for the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission. Planet. Sci. J. 3, 248 (2022).
doi: 10.3847/PSJ/ac91cc
Michel, P. et al. The ESA Hera mission: detailed characterization of the DART impact outcome and of the binary asteroid (65803) Didymos. Planet. Sci. J. 3, 160 (2022).
doi: 10.3847/PSJ/ac6f52
Daly, M. G. et al. The OSIRIS-REx laser altimeter (OLA) investigation and instrument. Space Sci. Rev. 212, 899–924 (2017).
doi: 10.1007/s11214-017-0375-3
Nakano, R. et al. NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART): mutual orbital period change due to reshaping in the near-earth binary asteroid system (65803) Didymos. Planet. Sci. J. 3, 148 (2022).
doi: 10.3847/PSJ/ac7566
Yu, Y. et al. A finite element method for computational full two-body problem: I. The mutual potential and derivatives over bilinear tetrahedron elements. Celest. Mech. Dyn. Astron. 131, 1–21 (2019).
doi: 10.1007/s10569-019-9930-4
Davidsson, B. J. R. & Rickman, H. Surface roughness and three-dimensional heat conduction in thermophysical models. Icarus 243, 58–77 (2014).
doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2014.08.039
Pelivan, I. et al. Thermophysical modeling of Didymos’ moon for the Asteroid Impact Mission. Adv. Space Res. 59, 1936–1949 (2017).
doi: 10.1016/j.asr.2016.12.041
Pajola, M. et al. Evidence for multi-fragmentation and mass shedding of boulders on rubble-pile binary asteroid system (65803) Didymos. Nat. Commun. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-50148-9 (2024).
Roth, N. X. et al. ALMA observations of the DART impact: characterizing the ejecta at sub-millimeter wavelengths. Planet. Sci. J. 4, 206 (2023).
doi: 10.3847/PSJ/acfcaa
El-Mahadia, I. The Elastic Properties of Carbonaceous Chondrites. PhD thesis, Univ. Calgary (2012).