Caleb Renner

B.S. Geology Major

Idaho State University

email: renncale@isu.edu

Project description:

Recent HiRISE images from Mars have shown 5-30-meter coils in channelized lava flows on Athabasca Valles. While some coil structures have been observed on Earth, terrestrial coils have a different morphology that suggests they are formed by a different mechanism. It is infered that continued inflation of the lava body and surges in the eruption rate caused the cooled surface of the lava flow to rupture and spread, with shear between plates of cooled lava crust and underlying molten lava, providing the mechanism to form martian coils. However, this emplacement mechanism for coils has not been directly observed on Earth or elsewhere. By understanding martian coil formation, we can understand lava properties and historical conditions during eruptions on Mars and, by extension, better understand early Earth.

I will test the emplacement of lava coils via shearing top plates using wax analog experiments. I hypothesize that the rupture geometry of the shearing top plate determines whether coils form in the channelized wax.

Overall Goals:

- Gain research experience that will further undergraduate learning experience

- Improve critical thinking and analysis

- Improve scientific writing and communication

- Submit an honors thesis and manuscript for publication

Mid-goals:

- Continue performing wax tests to collect a database

- Learn GPlates software to prepare for rift models

- Get a sense of lava fluid dynamics and rifting of lava lakes

Tasks for 3/17:

Read Icarus submission guidelines

- start revisions

B/W versions of figures -- how much can we get away with?

{SKN: keep pinging NASA contacts}

Send updated draft to SKN

{SKN: Read/revise draft}

Tasks for 3/10:

Poster: steal space from Conclusions for Discussion, add text about KHI and VKS

Convert LIP outline to text

Start on digitizing the new figures, try in Illustrator in DML (contact SKN for help as needed)

Tasks for 3/3:

Revise poster draft

add LIPs to discussion in manuscript

start on alternative figures to ones that we've been borrowing

Tasks for 2/11 (email):

Slides: add more content on terrestrial vs martian coils

- aim for ~20 slides

Make poster draft (revise from old)

Make LPSC reservations; send copies of receipts to SKN

{SKN check other laptop/re-annotate comments}

Tasks for 2/4:

File travel authorization with Michele's help

Email committee about dates/times for defense (19, 21, 28 Feb); include Dawn

{SKN check other laptop/re-annotate comments}

Tasks for 12/2:

Continue revising

Send SKN LPSC abstract

{Read LPSC abstract}

Find numbers for variable lava speeds and densities that are reasonable for Ri bracket calculations

- talk to BC about Ri calculations in water

Tasks for 11/18:

{Completed LPSC draft; SKN will review in a later week -- don't forget!}

Clarifying thesis, adding more thoughts to draft

{Waiting on thesis feedback from SKN/DT}

Tasks for 10/14:

Save some GPlates with flow lines

Write short analysis using GPlates output justifying oblique over orthogonal motion

Experiments: do a few follow-up oblique and plate geometry tests, otherwise looking good

Look for eddy papers outside of volcanology (engineering journals?)

Start new writing

Tasks for 9/30:

Put together GPlates model to look at perpendicular motion instead of oblique

Keep going with experiments

Look for paper(s) on eddies, esp. relating eddy scale to velocity, viscosity, and channel width(?)

- relate to Discussion section?

Start writing draft

Check R&C paper for dataset download?

Tasks for 9/23:

Continue oblique experiments

Review Harris, decide whether you trust the numbers given to characterize the different regimes

Put together GPlates model to look at perpendicular motion instead of oblique

Put in "bedrock" section in GPlates

Keep working on thesis outline

Tasks for 9/9:

Organize observations/conditions into a summary table

Continue oblique experiments

Start to work references to Ragnarsson and Karlstrom/Manga into text

- relate rift shapes from lava lakes vs. what we see

Read/summarize Harris (2005)

Ask Tyler about sharing lava coil photo (with citation)

<Summer: Field camp, lava coil work>

Tasks for 5/1: (email)

See what happens at 0.5 deg slope

Start to work references to Ragnarsson and Karlstrom/Manga into text

- relate rift shapes from lava lakes vs. what we see

Read/summarize Harris (2005)

Tasks for 4/24:

See what happens at 0.5 deg slope

For more on zig-zags:

Read/summarize Ragnarsson (1996)

Read/summarize Harris (2005)

Tasks for 4/17:

Read and Summarize lava lake rifting paper

Keep running wax experiments

-1 degree, jagged edge, perpendicular shear

-Add experiment with crust and flow, no shear

Tasks for 4/3:

See about accessing Adobe Illustrator in the DML; use to measure/annotate coils

- if too much of a pain to work in DML: consider using powerpoint

- email Donna/Carrie

Keep running experiments

- add no-board option (with and without slope)

Look for papers on lava lake rifting

Put together short summary report with figures

Tasks for 3/26:

Email receipt to SKN for pot

Keep playing with light

- think about backup ideas (paint/dye/etc.)

See about accessing Adobe Illustrator in the DML; use to measure/annotate coils

- if too much of a pain to work in DML: consider using powerpoint

Keep working with angled study and various board shapes

Go back through the equations from the lava dynamics paper. Do they make sense conceptually?

Tasks for 3/13:

check DI/IYR/whatever for cheap pot with lid

See if light source on side of wax setup improves photo visibility/shadows

- use powdered paint or food coloring?

Start compiling numbers, directions, sizes, etc., on coils in existing images; add to spreadsheet

Start working with different plate shapes at 1 deg.

Read/summarize/list questions for lava dynamics paper

Tasks for 2/20:

Continue on draft: Due 2/20

{File Cayuse tracking}

{Talk to Carrie/Ben cost match}

{Write prior projects}

Write NASA/ISGC alignment

Hypotheses section: list east hypothesis, provide rationale for hypothesis, how you will test (details, not full experimental design)

Tasks for 2/13:

Compile HiRISE observations into document, with annotated images

{SKN: follow up with Ben/Carrie about cost match}

{SKN: REVISE DRAFT}

continue experiments

Iterate with SKN on draft

Tasks for 2/6:

{SKN revise}

Laki DEM search

In HiRISE: put together map of coil locations -- are they consistent with Athabasca morphology/context?

- Other lava features: make list of features for comparison to Laki, and their contexts/measurements

Continue experiments

Ask Carrie to be on advising team

{SKN: follow up with Ben about cost match)

Tasks for 1/30:

2 paragraphs:

- 1st on work already completed and initial results

- 2nd on work to be done using the support from this grant (research plan)

Outline for Draft (single space, with figures):

- proposal description (5 pages): Problem statement; Introduce solution; Background (include your own GIS study); Hypotheses; For each Hypothesis, methods and potential outcomes including preliminary results

- Student involvement (1 paragraph)

- Project management/timeline (<1 page)

Tasks for 1/22:

Contact BC about being on UG Thesis committee

For undergraduate research grant: write paragraph explaining what work you'd want covered

Draft (single space, with figures):

- Student involvement (1 paragraph)

- Project management/timeline (<1 page)

continue experiments

Tasks for 1/16:

experiments

Tasks for 1/9:

Subdivide entry in spreadsheet into the different categories as columns

Add 1 degree slope to study plan

Revise draft, and flag sections as appropriate

For undergraduate research grant: write paragraph explaining what work you'd want covered and first attempt at budget (email before next meeting)

Do a few more tests in the lab

Tasks for 12/11:

upload excel sheet to gsheet

- share to SKN

Try with-flow experiments using fan, barrier

Read/revise draft (combine problem statement/intro/methods/map results as appropriate, plus list of expected figures)

- this includes flagging sections with questions, identifying to-dos, etc.

For undergraduate research grant: write paragraph explaining what work you'd want covered and first attempt at budget

Tasks for 12/4:

make spreadsheet of experiments/outcomes, including tag number for video

Start either with-flow or different board edge geometry

Tasks for 11/16:

Experiments: oblique shear, flat plane

Transfer files to cloud (Drive/Box/etc.) and put a copy of the lab book notes in a spreadsheet in the master directory

Tasks for 11/6:

Look up deadlines for appropriate ISGC proposals

- due Feb 8, solicitation will be announced in December

Look up undergraduate funding from GSA

- undergrad research grants are not a good fit. They do have field camp scholarships, though. Due March?

Submit thesis advising contract

Do first experiments!!!

Tasks for 10/30:

key?

Start converting methods outline to narrative text

Build flume

Email Lori about gathering hotplate, beaker(s)

Outline Athabasca analysis section, include list of figures

Thesis advising form

Tasks for 10/23:

re-email/call public safety to check on key

Find saw (may need to purchase)

Once tools are in hand, start building

Embed figures and captions into narrative draft

Start converting methods outline to narrative text

Tasks for 10/16:

email/call public safety to check on key

Revise documents per suggestions

start building!

Write a paragraph about the other styles of lava coils (include citations)

Look for tools in Henry Thomas room (next to flume room, and Sed Lab)

Tasks for 10/9:

Start collecting materials

Turn problem statement worksheet into clean paragraphs of text, pt 5 is new paragraph explaining methods at high level

Write detailed outline of intended methods

Diagram: put into digital form with top-down and side views.

Write 1-2 paragraphs (not complete) converting methods and wax reference text into paragraphs for literature review

Tasks for 10/2:

Melting temperatures for styrofoam?

- need to make sure that we don't have a reaction b/t wax and styrofoam

Draft scaled diagram of design

- sizes and materials for each piece (turn into budget)

- include all of the extra items (hot plate, beaker, etc.) and if we can borrow or need to buy

- Process will be iterative (does design require more wax than we can melt quickly?)

Complete Problem statement worksheet

(start converting methods and wax reference text into paragraphs for thesis)

Tasks for 9/25:

Price out polyethylene glycol wax

~$50/500g

Paraffin wax for subaerial (cheap at craft store: $10/3 lbs?)

Work out a scaled diagram/blueprint of what you think we should pursue for the experimental design

Write/revise a 1 paragraph problem statement and 1 paragraph methods statement

Compile the key points from the various wax modeling papers that you've read into a cited summary (~1 page)

Tasks for ?:

Try to find reference about lava surface rifting at Laki

Measure channel widths

List of stuff that we'll need for the model, approximate prices

Tasks for 4/26:

Finish polygons

read/summarize paper

Make charts

Make some sketches of analog design ideas

Tasks for 4/12:

Read/summarize another of the papers

Keep mapping units as polygons (3: really rough plates, first infill plates, second infill plates)

Keep looking for patterns, bring in maps that represent views of good vs. useless pattern ideas

Tasks for 3/29:

Read/summarize another of the papers

Map units as polygons (3: really rough plates, first infill plates, second infill plates)

Keep looking for patterns, bring in maps that represent views of good vs. useless pattern ideas

Tasks for 3/15:

Enter notes on circular features

Play with symbology to try to find patterns

- for any that seem worth investigating, make output images

Map polygons of different plate groups

Try to find the 2 papers we listed as "to read"

- read/summarize 1

Tasks for 3/8:

Enter info on coils

Change RML name, keep mapping

Read/summarize Walker et al.

Tasks for 3/1:

Read/summarize flood basalt paper

- type up summary as abstract in your own words

- add notes underneath for questions, useful points, any leads on further reading, etc.

Finish marking coils

- add notes

Map RMLs

Tasks for 2/22:

Read and summarize Jaeger et al. (2008)

Make features in ArcPro for the coils; fill in attribute table

Tasks for 2/15:

{SKN: crash course in ArcPro with CB; send notes to CR}

Read/summarize Mars basalt paper

- type up summary as abstract in your own words

- add notes underneath for questions, useful points, any leads on further reading, etc.

Once you have notes, use them to make point layer in ArcPro for lava coils

- in notes, label direction of flow, diameter

Find a paper on Athabasca Valles (send copy to SKN)

Tasks for 2/8:

Read/summarize chapter on extraterrestrial volcanism

use googleScholar to find 1+ research paper on Mars basalt geochemistry

Use lab to make point layer in ArcPro for lava coils

- in notes, label direction of flow, diameter

Tasks 2/1:

~~Email Carrie (bottcarr) about student version of ArcMap/ArcPro~~

~~Open Hirise hp2 file in ArcMap/ArcPro~~

Look initially for patterns in size, distribution, possible blocks

Source of the lava? (Is there even data coverage to see?)

Read basalt chapter and write summary

Tasks for 11/01

~~Prepare research outline~~

~~Work on Barry-Goldwater Scholarship~~

Tasks for 9/1:

~~Figure out personal availability for projects~~

~~keep eye out for ISGC posting (check with physics prof)~~

~~For future: Re number -- how hard to hit turbulent flow?; scaled models?~~

Tasks for 6/28:

~~Practice NAGT presentation~~

~~Put description, photos on website~~

~~Rock at NAGT!~~

Tasks for 6/7:

~~Make GE map of coil locations, highlighting the preferred search locations (color?); send kml to SKN~~

~~First attempt at directions on dirt roads~~

~~(Monday, 6/5: coil hunting! Meet on campus at 9 am)~~

~~Review slides from last fall; trim to ~12 min~~

~~Put stuff on website~~

~~If time: Google Scholar search for papers on open channel lava flow. If you find a good one, email copy to SKN~~