AUTHORS:

Kossacki K.J., Mikołajków T., Szutowicz S., Wesołowski M.

ABSTRACT:

In our paper we presented the results of our laboratory experiments dealing with the formation and sliding of the desiccated nonvolatile granular material down the samples of potential cometary analogs. The studied samples were composed of porous aggregates containing water ice, quartz sand and charcoal. Their surfaces were initially free of desiccated material. We have found, that under special conditions the sand released due to the sublimation of ice may almost continuously slide down the surface and leave it almost free of sand. The results of the experiments were compared to the observations of scarps on the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

ICARUS, 2024, vol. 410, art. 115861, doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2023.115861