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  • Presentation | P41E: Planetary Analog Field Work to Support and Enable Crewed and Robotic Exploration of Our Solar System Poster
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  • P41E-2658: Enhanced Seismic Backscattering for Lava Tube Detection
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Author(s):
Jingchuan Wang, University of Maryland College Park (First Author, Presenting Author)
Nicholas Schmerr, University of Maryland
Naoma McCall, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Sarah Kruse, University of South Florida
Vedran Lekic, University of Maryland
Patrick Whelley, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Jacob Giles, University of Maryland
Linden Wike, University of Maryland
John West, Arizona State University
Ryan Porter, Northern Arizona University
Maria E Banks, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
John Coonan, University of South Florida
Naya Deykes, Northern Arizona University
Saffat Shahid, University of Maryland College Park
Zachary Vig, University of Maryland College Park
Michael Zanetti, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center


Lava tubes are underground caves formed by flowing lava during volcanic eruptions. These structures exist on Earth and other planets, including the Moon and Mars, where they could serve as natural shelters for future space missions. However, seismically detecting lava tubes below the surface is challenging. In this study, we introduce a seismic technique based on enhanced backscattering, where seismic waves scatter due to a cave, resulting in a measurable energy increase at the surface. We test this method at three known terrestrial lava tubes and find that energy patterns in seismic wavefields reveal the cave locations and sizes. Our findings suggest that this technique could help detect lava tubes on the Moon and Mars, aiding future exploration efforts.



Scientific Discipline
Neighborhood
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Main Session
Discussion