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Grain size-sensitive creep in ice II

January 1, 2006

Rheological experiments on fine-grained water ice II at low strain rates reveal a creep mechanism that dominates at conditions of low stress. Using cryogenic scanning electron microscopy, we observed that a change in stress exponent from 5 to 2.5 correlates strongly with a decrease in grain size from about 40 to 6 micrometers. The grain size-sensitive creep of ice II demonstrated here plausibly dominates plastic strain at the low-stress conditions in the interior of medium- to large-sized icy moons of the outer solar system.

Publication Year 2006
Title Grain size-sensitive creep in ice II
DOI 10.1126/science.1121296
Authors T. Kubo, W. B. Durham, L.A. Stern, S. H. Kirby
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Science
Index ID 70030337
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse