When
3:30 p.m., April 1, 2010
Where
Kuiper Space Sciences Building 308
Dr. Isamu Matsuyama, University of California, Berkeley, is the scheduled speaker.
Mass redistribution on the surface and within the interior of planets leads to a reorientation of the rotation pole relative to the surface geography,or true polar wander. I will discuss new and general theoretical treatments of true polar wander for terrestrial planets and icy satellites. The theory corrects previous analyses and also extends these studies to take into account the effects of elastic lithospheres, elastic energy, and tidal deformation. I will review several recent applications of the new theory, including reassessments of the rotational stability of Earth, Mars, and icy satellites of the outer solar system.
Mass redistribution on the surface and within the interior of planets leads to a reorientation of the rotation pole relative to the surface geography,or true polar wander. I will discuss new and general theoretical treatments of true polar wander for terrestrial planets and icy satellites. The theory corrects previous analyses and also extends these studies to take into account the effects of elastic lithospheres, elastic energy, and tidal deformation. I will review several recent applications of the new theory, including reassessments of the rotational stability of Earth, Mars, and icy satellites of the outer solar system.