Research Methodology of Martian Aeolian Geomorphology

Martian exploration is the focus and hot topic of deep space exploration, and China implemented the first Martian exploration Program in 2020. Aeolian process is the most extensive and active landform process on the surface of Mars, and has been an important part of Martian research. Sustainable development of Martian aeolian geomorphology research requires the support of theoretical system and research methodology, and research methodology is a key issue when field observations are impossible. We analyzed the research methods of Martian aeolian geomorphology from three aspects: methodology, approach, and application of modern technology. Methodology must focus on the dialectical unity of induction and deduction, reductionism and holism. Research approach includes exploration and numerical simulation, and Mars-like aeolian geomorphology study on Earth is also a common approach. Taking full advantage of remote sensing observations and detection technologies is an important basis for the development of Martian aeolian research. Simulation experiments have been an important part of aeolian geomorphology research. Since the 1980s, the United States, Europe, and Japan have successively built Martian wind tunnels to study various aircrafts in Martian atmosphere. In the absence of field observation, wind tunnel experiment and numerical simulation play an important role in studying the evolution and formation process of aeolian landform and the Martian environment.     

风沙地貌形态动力学研究进展

风沙地貌是广泛分布于干旱、半干旱,甚至部分湿润地区,由风力作用形成的一种地貌类型。风沙地貌学是研究在风力作用下物质运动形成的地表形态特征、空间组合规律及其形成演变的科学,是地貌学中以风为外营力形成的地貌为对象的分支学科。风是风沙地貌学研究的基础,其贯穿整个风沙地貌学研究。风况决定了风沙地貌的形态特征、空间组合特征和演化过程,同时,沙丘表面气流和风沙流控制沙丘的形态演化过程和移动过程。风沙地貌经过100多年的发展,在沙丘形态特征、动力学过程等方面取得了长足发展。从风沙地貌观测方法、分析方法和形态动力学角度出发,总结了近年来风沙地貌形态、形成风况以及动力学方面的研究进展。随着新技术的发展,全站仪、三维地形扫描仪等新的形态观测设备开始应用于风沙地貌形态测量,使得大范围风沙地貌形态精准测量成为可能,为风沙地貌形态动力学研究提供精确的地形特征资料。同时,三维超声风速仪等高频风速观测仪器也广泛应用于风沙地貌动力学观测,从而探讨风沙地貌形态—近地层气流的互馈机制。但是,针对具体的分析方法,如风况与沙丘形态的对应关系,近地层气流的分析方法以及形态—气流互馈关系等方面,目前还没有好的解决办法。     

太阳系探测的进展与比较行星学的主要科学问题

回顾了太阳系的探测历程,综合分析了太阳系探测的发展趋势。未来的太阳系探测将以月球与火星探测为主线,适度开展太阳系其他行星及其卫星、小行星和彗星的考察性探测。21世纪将是全面探测太阳系并为人类社会长期可持续发展服务的新时代。随着太阳系探测的进展,通过系统比较地球与类地行星的大气层与水体的形成演化过程、地形地貌与地质构造特征、岩石类型、热历史与内部结构等方面的共性与特性研究,表明行星的质量大小和行星与太阳的距离的相互耦合,制约了行星的形成和演化的复杂过程。比较行星学已成为指导太阳系探测的科学理论体系。     

Unique Aeolian Bedforms of Mars: Transverse Aeolian Ridges

Transverse Aeolian Ridges (TARs) are among the unique aeolian bedforms of Mars, which witnessed a series of investigation for the last two decades thanks to the high-resolution remote sensing data. This paper summarized the understanding with respect to distribution, morphology, sedimentology, formation hypotheses and formation time of TARs. It is suggested that TARs are a kind of aeolian bedforms with meter-scale height and decameter-scale wavelength. TARs are primarily distributed in the equator and low-latitude regions, being rare in high and mid-latitude regions, and more popular in the south hemisphere than in the north hemisphere. Higher albedo and symmetric cross-sections are the most outstanding features of TARs, being analogous to the megaripples and reversing dunes on the Earth. The grain-size distribution of TARs’ sediments is generally bimodal, with granule cover and low thermal inertia. Three formation hypotheses were proposed for TARs: Megaripple hypothesis, reversing dune hypothesis and dust induration hypothesis, with more evidences supporting the megaripple hypothesis. Similar to dunes, TARs are geologically recent morphology on Mars, but generally predate dunes, formed in the last few million years so that most TARs are indurated or lithified and are immobile. However, contemporary mobileTARs are also developed in some regions. The unique features of TARs make them the mostenigmatic aeolian bedforms of Mars. It is proposed that high-resolution information on TARs sedimentology and integrated regional surveying should be listed in the priorities of future Mars exploration with respect to TARs study.     

火星雅丹地貌研究进展

雅丹地貌是一种典型的风蚀地貌.多源遥感探测和就位探测均表明火星表面分布着大量的雅丹地貌,其形态特征和物质组成记录了火星气候环境变化的信息,是当前火星探测和研究的热点之一.本文对火星雅丹地貌的探测历史、分布、类型、几何特征、物质组成、年代学、发育过程及对古气候指示意义等方面的研究进展进行了总结,在此基础上,提出了当前火星雅丹地貌研究存在的主要问题,建议在未来研究中重点加强雅丹地貌定量化和比较行星学研究,并结合其物质组成、年代学等方面工作,探讨其发育过程与气候环境协同演化的机制,为深入认识火星雅丹地貌发育过程,了解火星古气候环境变化提供支持.     

金星探测研究进展与未来展望

金星探测是解答太阳系类地行星形成演化,地球宜居性的形成和未来发展,以及外太阳系宜居星球搜索策略的关键.由于金星恶劣的环境条件、对探测技术的多重挑战和相对高昂的探测成本,金星探测和研究程度远不及月球和火星.自20 世纪90 年代后期,金星探测任务相对匮乏.本文梳理了国际上金星探测研究进展、关键科学问题及技术需求,提出了未来金星的探测目标和探测方式建议.目前,对金星大气和气候研究程度最高,包括大气结构和大气化学,能量平衡和热结构,云层和霾层,大气环流和动力学以及气候演化等.高层大气的物理化学和太阳风与金星的相互作用方面也有重要进展.金星地表和内部的研究则相对滞后,研究涵盖金星表面形貌特征,撞击和重塑历史,火山和构造活动,地表物质组成,地表和大气相互作用等,但受限于数据的空间覆盖率和较低的分辨率和精度,诸多重大问题尚未解答,迫切需要新的探测数据.除探测任务外,金星研究还依赖于地基观测、实验室模拟和数值模拟研究.地面模拟设施对支持金星探测任务研发和金星基础科学研究尤为重要.未来十年是中国开展金星探测的契机和研发相关技术的关键时期.本文可为对金星探测、行星科学、太阳系探测感兴趣的科学家和工程人员提供参考.     

风沙活动对陆地生态系统影响研究进展

风沙活动及其物质输移运动是关键的陆地地表过程,对全球生态环境有显著的影响。归纳了风沙运动中养分的释放、搬运和沉降机制;总结了目前风沙运动中的物质及养分组成,养分流失与沉降对植物生长的影响、养分在植被群落中的分配和利用机理等方面的研究进展;揭示了大区域尺度上风沙运动与地表养分的释放和输移的关系及植被群落对风沙活动的响应;指出了风沙活动在陆地生态系统演化中扮演的角色。在已有研究的基础上,提出揭示风尘物质在远源陆地区域的沉降机制、风尘物质中有效养分的组成和含量、风尘物质养分的主要传输路径,建立风尘物质养分的源—汇模式,构建植被对风沙活动的响应过程,综合集成风沙活动与植被演化之间的动态关系等是未来主要研究方向的建议。     

Aeolian desertification from the mid-1970s to 2005 in Otindag Sandy Land, Northern China

Aeolian desertification in Otindag Sandy Land has expanded dramatically during the past 50 years. This research explored processes and causes of aeolian desertification in the study area. The results showed that aeolian desertification development in Zhenglan Qi of typical region located at the center in the study area can be divided into three stages including rapid occurrence before 1987, parts of rehabilitation and most of deterioration from 1987 to 2000 and little rapid rehabilitation occurrence from 2000 to 2005, according to remote sensing images and field investigations. Gradually declining MI indicated that climate change was not the major cause of aeolian desertification development during the last 40 years, while increasing population should be the underlying cause of local aeolian desertification. Irrational human activities mainly including unsuitable reclamation in the 1960s and lasting over-grazing after 1980 are direct causes contributing to local aeolian desertification, especially over-grazing, while climate change often played a revealer of irrational human activities mainly through drought events. Over-grazing and undesirable climate have different functions during the whole aeolian desertification process. Over-grazing gradually changed grasslands to slight aeolian desertified lands at the initial stage, while climate with windy days or droughts often accelerated formation of serious aeolian desertified lands. Aeolian desertification in the study area both possesses occurrence possibility and great rehabilitative potential. At present, more integrated countermeasures combating local aeolian desertification still are expected.     

行星地质资源与工程学导论

行星科学是近几十年发展起来的一门多学科交叉的新兴学科,如何利用行星资源、可持续永久开发太空成为行星科学的新兴前沿研究方向。在阿波罗号人类登月50周年之际,世界大国纷纷抢占深空探测的科技制高点,美国宣布重启太空计划,俄罗斯制定了一系列的月球战略,我国也制定了深空科学探测任务规划发展路线图,要达到这些宏伟的深空探测与开发目标,亟待发展行星地质资源与工程学,为太空的可持续永久开发提供基础理论与关键技术支撑。行星地质资源与工程学是行星地质学的分支,运用行星科学的基础理论,利用行星观测、探测及开发技术方法,研究行星地质资源形成演化规律,查明地质资源的类型、特征、储量和分布规律;进行行星地质资源的地质调查、岩石成分、结构与性能、开发地质条件评价与预测,解决行星工程中的各类地质问题,研发行星开发利用地质工程技术,为行星地质资源开发与人类工程活动提供基础理论与关键技术方法。行星地质资源与工程学的研究内容通常包括:行星地质资源探测理论与技术、行星地质资源成因演化与评价、行星地质工程。发展行星地质资源与工程学具有重要意义:从行星科学的视角进行研究,促进学科增长与拓展;开发行星地质资源,打破资源束缚,实现太空永久可持续开发;培养学科人才,提升行星地质资源与工程科技水平,为人类移居行星奠定基础。未来行星地质资源与工程学科应加强行星物理学、行星化学和行星地质学的交叉融合及理论应用,发展行星地质勘探方法与智能机器人工程技术,发展高/低温、高/低压、高辐照、低/微重力环境条件下样品采集、加工、多尺度测试分析理论与方法,培养行星地质资源与工程学科人才。     

Earth science at the UK's deepest laboratory

Deep below the coast of North Yorkshire, UK, scientists are conducting world‐class research into elusive dark matter and life on other planets, and are using the products of exploding stars to combat climate change and revolutionize how we monitor the storage of CO₂ emitted from industry. Boulby Underground Laboratory is hosted within Boulby Mine, the deepest active mine in the UK. Funded by the UK government through the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the laboratory sits within a tunnel hewn from halite at a depth of 1100 m. Originally built for research into particle and astrophysics, recent years have seen a move unprecedented among similar facilities around the world—a significant expansion of research into a wide variety of other scientific fields. Today, Earth science research at Boulby includes Muon tomography for monitoring deep carbon sequestration, ultra‐low‐background gamma spectroscopy, studies of life in extreme environments, and developing Mars rover equipment to analyse Martian geology.     

火星资源赋存状况及其原位利用技术研究进展与展望

太空资源的勘探及利用是深空探测的重要目的之一。火星是人类最容易到达和资源利用最为迫切的行星,对火星资源进行勘查和原位利用是未来火星载人探测及基地建设需要解决的重要问题。本文对火星大气资源、水资源、土壤与岩石矿物资源、风能与太阳能资源等可利用资源的类型及赋存状况进行了分析,制作了火星资源的全球分布图,并从资源分布的角度提出了未来火星资源探测及火星基地建设的首选区域。同时,本文也总结了火星原位资源利用技术的研究进展及问题,认为未来需要从以下几个方面开展进一步研究：加强火星资源的针对性勘查与评估;开发新的资源利用模式与技术;建立资源利用成本的综合评估模型;完善资源开发与利用相关的法律法规。     

海岸沙丘表面现代风成沙地球化学元素分异的典型研究--以河北昌黎黄金海岸横向沙脊为例

在我国海岸沙丘主要分布地区河北昌黎黄金海岸选取代表性的海岸横向沙脊为研究对象,对其典型断面上沙丘表面不同部位的21种地球化学元素的含量进行了比较分析。结果表明,Co、Zr和Mg三种元素在海岸沙脊表面不同部位的含量差异明显且与海滩沙相比含量差异较大,Cr、Pb、Ti、Nb、As、Mn、Zn和Ba等8种元素的含量差异程度中等,但Y、Ca、Fe、Na、Al、Sr、P、K、Rb和Si等10种元素的差异并不明显,而11种差异程度中等以上元素在海岸横向沙脊迎风坡脚、迎风坡、脊顶、背风坡、背风坡脚等部位的含量变化特征并不一致,呈现出不同的分异模式,其主要原因是受沉积环境、化学元素性质、粒度特征及营力的影响等。     

风沙地貌学研究与展望

风沙地貌学在全球环境变化研究中占有重要地位，但与其它地貌学分支学科相比，目前风沙地貌学的研究还显得比较薄弱，这在我国更是如此。通过分析当前这一学科的主要研究内容，介绍国外研究的最新动态，从而指出了我国风沙地貌学今后应注意的主要研究方向。     

碎屑岩系油气储层沉积学的发展历程与热点问题思考

随着世界各大产油国（区）油气勘探与开发成熟度的日益增高,储层地质问题业已上升为制约石油工业油气勘探开发的主要瓶颈问题之一。为了提高油气田勘探成功率与开发采收率,进一步实现“增储上产”之目的,全面开展储层多参数的空间展布的准确预测和表征方法技术研究已成为当前油气地质工作必不可少的内容,尤为重要的是它们均离不开储层沉积学这一根本基础。储层沉积学兴起于20世纪60年代,至今已有40多年的发展历程;本文在总结阐述国内外研究进展的基础上,分阶段地从这一学科的形成背景、石油工业的需求、多学科的相互渗透、专业化的形成与发展趋势等方面进行了阐述。同时,也对当前碎屑岩系储层沉积学所涉及的热点领域,如现代沉积与野外露头研究方法、地球物理方法的应用、多参数沉积相图的编制方法、层序地层学的应用、深水沉积储层的成因、地震沉积学的形成与应用、陆相盆地沉积充填模式以及储层成岩作用等方面进行了概述与讨论,并就我国如何深化这一学科研究提出了一些建议与应注意的问题。     

行星矿产及行星资源地质学初论

了解并利用行星矿产资源、可持续永久开发太空成为行星科学与深空探测的一项重要研究任务。而行星矿产资源的开发利用,需要运用行星科学与地质学特别是矿床学的基础理论,利用行星观测、探测及开发技术方法,研究行星矿产资源形成演化规律,查明行星矿产资源的类型、特征、储量和分布规律;进行行星矿产资源的地质调查、岩石-矿石成分、结构与性能、元素赋存状态、开发利用条件评价与预测,为行星矿产资源开发与太空的可持续永久开发建设提供基础理论与关键技术方法。因此,行星矿产资源学是研究行星矿产资源的品种、类型与分布规律、行星矿产资源成因演化与比较行星成矿学、行星矿产资源勘查评价技术与开采利用工程学的交叉学科。笔者从行星资源地质学的视角,从地球与月球的层圈结构、演化历史、岩石组成与表生环境,研判月球可能产出的矿产资源类型。认为与月海玄武岩、月幔(柱)和陨石撞击成因的层状岩体与镁铁-超镁铁质小岩体有关的铬铁矿-铜镍钴硫化物-铂族元素-钒钛磁铁矿-金刚石矿产,KREEP岩以及月幔柱熔融上覆岩石圈所产生碱性岩相伴的铌-钽-铍-铀等稀有-稀土矿产,具有形成条件与产出可能,从而拓展可能的矿产类型、品种,从更宽广的视角研究月球矿产并规划月球基地建设资源供给。火星上由于水(以及可能存在的板块构造)的存在,除岩浆矿床之外,火星可能具备发育与化学风化沉积、次生富集作用以及变质作用有关矿产的形成条件,具有形成金属与非金属资源的禀赋,可与地球矿产相媲美。未来行星资源地质学应加强地质学、行星化学、行星地质学、行星物理学、矿业工程、冶金工程和材料学的交叉融合及理论应用,发展行星地质勘探方法与智能机器人工程技术,发展高/低温、高/低压、高辐照、低/微重力环境条件下样品采集、加工、多尺度测试分析理论与方法,培养行星资源地质资源与开发工程学科人才。     

Earth and Mars – Distinct inner solar system products

Composition of terrestrial planets records planetary accretion, core–mantle and crust–mantle differentiation, and surface processes. Here we compare the compositional models of Earth and Mars to reveal their characteristics and formation processes. Earth and Mars are equally enriched in refractory elements (1.9 × CI), although Earth is more volatile-depleted and less oxidized than Mars. Their chemical compositions were established by nebular fractionation, with negligible contributions from post-accretionary losses of moderately volatile elements. The degree of planetary volatile element depletion might correlate with the abundances of chondrules in the accreted materials, planetary size, and their accretion timescale, which provides insights into composition and origin of Mercury, Venus, the Moon-forming giant impactor, and the proto-Earth. During its formation before and after the nebular disk's lifetime, the Earth likely accreted more chondrules and less matrix-like materials than Mars and chondritic asteroids, establishing its marked volatile depletion. A giant impact of an oxidized, differentiated Mars-like (i.e., composition and mass) body into a volatile-depleted, reduced proto-Earth produced a Moon-forming debris ring with mostly a proto-Earth's mantle composition. Chalcophile and some siderophile elements in the silicate Earth added by the Mars-like impactor were extracted into the core by a sulfide melt (∼0.5% of the mass of the Earth's mantle). In contrast, the composition of Mars indicates its rapid accretion of lesser amounts of chondrules under nearly uniform oxidizing conditions. Mars’ rapid cooling and early loss of its dynamo likely led to the absence of plate tectonics and surface water, and the present-day low surface heat flux. These similarities and differences between the Earth and Mars made the former habitable and the other inhospitable to uninhabitable.     

南昌市厚田乡风沙地貌形态特征与美学价值

南昌市南部新建县广泛分布由古风沙和现代流沙组成的沙化土地。在野外地质调查的基础上,选择新建县南部厚田沙地作为研究对象,应用观察法、描述法和系统调查分析法等定性评价方法对上伏风沙地貌的类型和特征进行分析,并结合下覆古风沙的OSL年代、粒度组成及色度参数等定量分析方法,探讨亚热带湿润区风沙地貌遗产的美学特征。结果表明:厚田风沙地貌包括现代风沙沉积和晚第四纪古风沙沉积。现代风沙沉积大致始于14 ka B.P.,以纵向沙垄、穹形沙堆、辫状沙堆、平沙地等微地貌形态为主;晚第四纪古风沙沉积时间约为77.0~14.9 ka B.P.,以板状交错层理为主,地层序列丰富,是蕴含古环境演变信息的特殊地质遗迹,具有重要的科学研究价值。风沙地貌具有色彩美、旷远美、形式美和生命美等美学特征,具有良好的地学旅游开发价值。定性评价与定量分析相结合,可丰富风沙地貌美学研究的内容,也可为中国南方亚热带湿润区风沙地貌的地质遗迹保护和地学旅游开发提供参考。     

小行星深空探测的科学意义和展望

太阳系深空探测活动方兴未艾,小行星探测已成为主要发展方向。通过回顾近年来几个主要的国际小行星空间探测计划以及取得的研究成果,总结了小行星深空探测从早期的近距离飞越到小行星低空绕轨勘探,到目前的表面软着陆和采集样品返回的发展进程。同时深空探测也给行星科学研究者提出了新的挑战,鉴于目前行星科学的研究热点,详细叙述了小行星深空探测急需解决的重大科学问题及其科学意义,随后简单介绍了未来小行星深空探测计划的科学目标,为小行星深空探测的具体任务提供了科学目标选择方向。最后呼吁我国及时介入小行星深空探测,提升航天能力,开拓深空领域。     

Impacts in the primordial history of terrestrial planets

Collisions played a very important role in the formation of terrestrial planets. These planets are believed to have formed from a system of planetary embryos, with masses comparable to that of the Moon or of Mars. Giant collisions between proto-planets and embryos were, therefore, the rule. The collision which gave origin to the Earth’s moon was just one of these collisions. We review the state of the art concerning numerical modeling of the terrestrial planets accretion process and we compare the results with the available observational or geochemical constraints. After the completion of the formation process, the history of the bombardment of the terrestrial planets was peculiar. After a period most likely characterized by a weak bombardment rate, about 3.9 Gyr ago, the planets experienced the ‘Late Heavy Bombardment’, a cataclysmic episode characterized by a bombardment rate of about 20,000 times the current one, during a time-span of 50–150 Myr. We review a recent model that has been proposed to explain the origin of this cataclysm.     

The bulk composition of Mars

An accurate assessment of the bulk chemical composition of Mars is fundamental to understanding planetary accretion, differentiation, mantle evolution, the nature of the igneous parent rocks that were altered to produce sediments on Mars, and the initial concentrations of volatiles such as H, Cl and S, important constituents of the Martian surface. This paper reviews the three main approaches that have been used to estimate the bulk chemical composition of Mars: geochemical/cosmochemical, isotopic, and geophysical. The standard model is one developed by Wänke and Dreibus in a series of papers, which is based on compositions of Martian meteorites. Since their groundbreaking work, substantial amounts of data have become available to allow a reassessment of the composition of Mars from elemental data, including tests of the basic assumptions in the geochemical models. The results adjust some of the concentrations in the Wänke–Dreibus model, but in general confirm its accuracy. Bulk silicate Mars has roughly uniform depletion of moderately volatile elements such as K (0.6 × CI), and strong depletion of highly volatile elements (e.g., Tl). The highly volatile elements are within uncertainties uniformly depleted at about 0.06 CI abundances. The highly volatile chalcophile elements are likewise roughly uniformly depleted, but with more scatter, with normalized abundances of 0.03 CI. Bulk planetary H₂O is much higher than estimated previously: it appears to be slightly less than in Earth, but D/H is similar in Earth and Mars, indicating a common source of water-bearing material in the inner solar system. K/Th ranges from ∼3000 to ∼5000 among the terrestrial planets, a small range compared to CI chondrites (19,000). FeO varies throughout the inner solar system: ∼3 wt% in Mercury, 8 wt% in Earth and Venus, and 18 wt% in Mars. These differences can be produced by varying oxidation conditions, hence do not suggest the terrestrial planets were formed from fundamentally different materials. The broad chemical similarities among the terrestrial planets indicate substantial mixing throughout the inner solar system during planet formation, as suggested by dynamical models.