Michael Bland, Ph.D.
Mike Bland is a research space scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center. His interests primarily lie in combining numerical models with planetary datasets to understand the thermal and tectonic evolution of ice-rich bodies.
Past and current research areas include:
- The mechanics of rifting in ice lithospheres (e.g., Ganymede and Enceladus)
- The formation of contractional features on icy bodies (e.g., Europa, Enceladus, Titan)
- Crater modification due to viscous relaxation (Enceladus and Ceres)
- Mountain formation on Io
- Differentiation of large icy satellites (Ganymede and Titan)
- Production of Ganymede's magnetic field
Professional Experience
Dawn at Ceres Guest Investigator
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Planetary Science, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ (2008)
BA Physics/Geology, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter MN (2002)
Honors and Awards
First Decade Award, Gustavus Adolphus College (2012)
NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (2007)
Gerard P. Kuiper Award, University of Arizona (2007)
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 32
Cryovolcanic rates on Ceres revealed by topography
Cryovolcanism, defined here as the extrusion of icy material from depth, may be an important planetary phenomenon in shaping the surfaces of many worlds in the outer Solar System and revealing their thermal histories1,2,3. However, the physics, chemistry and ubiquity of this geologic process remain poorly understood, especially in comparison to the better-studied silicate volcanism on the terrestr
Authors
M. M. Sori, H. G. Sizemore, S. Byrne, A. M. Bramson, Michael T. Bland, N. T. Stein, C. T. Russell
Floor-fractured craters on Ceres and implications for interior processes
Several of the impact craters on Ceres have sets of fractures on their floors. These fractures appear similar to those found within a class of lunar craters referred to as floor-fractured craters (FFCs). We have cataloged the Ceres FFCs according to the classification scheme designed for the Moon. An analysis of the depth to diameter ratio for Ceres craters shows that, like lunar FFCs, the Ceres F
Authors
Debra L. Buczkowski, Hanna G. Sizemore, Michael T. Bland, Jennifer E. C. Scully, Lynnae C. Quick, Kynan H. G. Hughson, Ryan S. Park, F. Preusker, Carol A. Raymond, Christopher T. Russell
A new Enceladus global control network, image mosaic, and updated pointing kernels from Cassini's thirteen-year mission
NASA's Cassini spacecraft spent 13 years exploring the Saturn system, including 23 targeted flybys of the small, geologically active moon Enceladus. These flybys provided a wealth of image data from Cassini's Imaging Science Subsystem. To improve the usability of the Enceladus data set, we created a new, global photogrammetric control network for Enceladus that enabled compilation of a versatile c
Authors
Michael T. Bland, Tammy L. Becker, Kenneth Edmundson, Thomas Roatsch, Brent Archinal, D. Takir, G. W. Patterson, G. C. Collins, P. M. Schenk, R. T. Pappalardo, Debbie Cook
Final Mimas and Enceladus atlases derived from Cassini-ISS images
The Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) on-board Cassini took a few high-resolution images of the icy Saturnian satellites Mimas and Enceladus over the last seven years of the Cassini mission during non-targeted flybys. We used the new Mimas images to improve the existing semi-controlled mosaic of Mimas. A new controlled Enceladus mosaic was published recently (Bland et al., 2015; Bland et al. in prep
Authors
Thomas Roatsch, E. Kersten, K.-D. Matz, Michael T. Bland, Tammy L. Becker, Gerald Wesley Patterson, C. Porco
Relaxed impact craters on Ganymede: Regional variation and high heat flows
Viscously relaxed craters provide a window into the thermal history of Ganymede, a satellite with copious geologic signs of past high heat flows. Here we present measurements of relaxed craters in four regions for which suitable imaging exists: near Anshar Sulcus, Tiamat Sulcus, northern Marius Regio, and Ganymede's south pole. We describe a technique to measure apparent depth, or depth of the cra
Authors
Kelsi N. Singer, Michael T. Bland, Paul M. Schenk, William B. McKinnon
Ceres internal structure from geophysical constraints
Thermal evolution modeling has yielded a variety of interior structures for Ceres, ranging from a modestly differentiated interior to more advanced evolution with a dry silicate core, a hydrated silicate mantle, and a volatile‐rich crust. Here we compute the mass and hydrostatic flattening from more than one hundred billion three‐layer density models for Ceres and describe the characteristics of t
Authors
S.J. King, J. C. Castillo-Rogez, M. J. Toplis, Michael T. Bland, C. A. Raymond, C. T. Russell
Bright carbonate surfaces on Ceres as remnants of salt-rich water fountains
Vinalia and Cerealia Faculae are bright and salt-rich localized areas in Occator crater on Ceres. The predominance of the near-infrared signature of sodium carbonate on these surfaces suggests their original material was a brine. Here we analyze Dawn Framing Camera's images and characterize the surfaces as composed of a central structure, either a possible depression (Vinalia) or a central dome (C
Authors
Ottavian Ruesch, Lynnae Quick, Margaret Evelyn Landis, M.M. Sori, O. Čadek, P. Brož, K.A. Otto, Michael T. Bland, S. Byrne, J.C. Castillo-Rogez, H. Hiesinger, R. Jaumann, K. Krohn, L.A. McFadden, A. Nathues, A. Neesemann, F. Preusker, T. Roatsch, P.M. Schenk, J.E.C. Scully, M.V. Sykes, D.A. Williams, C.A. Raymond, C.T. Russell.
Morphological indicators of a mascon beneath Ceres' largest crater, Kerwan
Gravity data of Ceres returned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Dawn spacecraft is consistent with a lower density crust of variable thickness overlying a higher density mantle. Crustal thickness variations can affect the long‐term, postimpact modification of impact craters on Ceres. Here we show that the unusual morphology of the 280 km diameter crater Kerwan may result from
Authors
Michael T. Bland, Anton Ermakov, Carol A. Raymond, David A. Williams, Tim J. Bowling, F. Preusker, Ryan S. Park, Simone Marchi, Julie C. Castillo-Rogez, R.R. Fu, Christopher T. Russell
Evidence for the interior evolution of Ceres from geologic analysis of fractures
Ceres is the largest asteroid belt object, and the Dawn spacecraft observed Ceres since 2015. Dawn observed two morphologically distinct linear features on Ceres's surface: secondary crater chains and pit chains. Pit chains provide unique insights into Ceres's interior evolution. We interpret pit chains called the Samhain Catenae as the surface expression of subsurface fractures. Using the pit cha
Authors
Jennifer E. C. Scully, Debra Buczkowski, Nico Schmedemann, Carol A. Raymond, Julie C. Castillo-Rogez, Scott King, Michael T. Bland, Anton Ermakov, D.P. O'Brien, S. Marchi, A. Longobardo, C.T. Russell, R.R. Fu, M. Neveu
Viscous relaxation as a prerequisite for tectonic resurfacing on Ganymede: Insights from numerical models of lithospheric extension
Ganymede’s bright terrain formed during a near-global resurfacing event (or events) that produced both heavily tectonized and relatively smooth terrains. The mechanism(s) by which resurfacing occurred on Ganymede (e.g., cryovolcanic or tectonic), and the relationship between the older, dark and the younger, bright terrain are fundamental to understanding the geological evolution of the satellite.
Authors
Michael T. Bland, William B. McKinnon
The interior structure of Ceres as revealed by surface topography
Ceres, the largest body in the asteroid belt (940 km diameter), provides a unique opportunity to study the interior structure of a volatile-rich dwarf planet. Variations in a planetary body's subsurface rheology and density affect the rate of topographic relaxation. Preferential attenuation of long wavelength topography (≥150 km) on Ceres suggests that the viscosity of its crust decreases with inc
Authors
Roger R. Fu, Anton Ermakov, Simone Marchi, Julie C. Castillo-Rogez, Carol A. Raymond, Bradford Hager, Maria Zuber, Scott D. King, Michael T. Bland, Maria Cristina De Sanctis, Frank Preusker, Ryan S. Park, Christopher T. Russell
Pitted terrains on (1) Ceres and implications for shallow subsurface volatile distribution
Prior to the arrival of the Dawn spacecraft at Ceres, the dwarf planet was anticipated to be ice-rich. Searches for morphological features related to ice have been ongoing during Dawn's mission at Ceres. Here we report the identification of pitted terrains associated with fresh Cerean impact craters. The Cerean pitted terrains exhibit strong morphological similarities to pitted materials previousl
Authors
H.G. Sizemore, Thomas Platz, Norbert Schorghofer, Thomas Prettyman, Maria Christina De Sanctis, David A. Crown, Nico Schmedemann, Andeas Nessemann, Thomas Kneissl, Simone Marchi, Paul M. Schenk, Michael T. Bland, B.E. Schmidt, Kynan H.G. Hughson, F. Tosi, F Zambon, S.C. Mest, R.A. Yingst, D.A. Williams, C.T. Russell, C.A. Raymond
Non-USGS Publications**
Bland, M. T. 2013. Predicted crater morphologies on Ceres: Probing internal structure and evolution. Icarus, 226, 510-521.
Bland, M. T. and McKinnon, W. B., 2013. Does folding accommodate Europa’s contractional strain? The effect of surface temperature on fold formation in ice lithospheres. Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 2534-2538, doi:10.1002/grl.50506.
Bland, M. T., and McKinnon, W. B., 2012. Forming Europa’s folds: Strain requirements for the production of large-amplitude deformation. Icarus,221, 694-709.
Bland, M. T., Singer, K. S., McKinnon, W. B., and Schenk, P. M. 2012. Enceladus’ extreme heat flux as revealed by its relaxed craters. Geo. Res. Lett., 39, L17204, doi:10.1029/2012GL052736.
Bland, M. T., McKinnon, W. B., and Showman, A. P., 2010. The effects of strain localization on the formation of Ganymede’s grooved terrain. Icarus, 210, 396-410.
Bland, M. T., Showman, A. P., and Tobie, G., 2009. The orbital-thermal evolution and global expansion of Ganymede. Icarus, 200, 207-221.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 32
Cryovolcanic rates on Ceres revealed by topography
Cryovolcanism, defined here as the extrusion of icy material from depth, may be an important planetary phenomenon in shaping the surfaces of many worlds in the outer Solar System and revealing their thermal histories1,2,3. However, the physics, chemistry and ubiquity of this geologic process remain poorly understood, especially in comparison to the better-studied silicate volcanism on the terrestr
Authors
M. M. Sori, H. G. Sizemore, S. Byrne, A. M. Bramson, Michael T. Bland, N. T. Stein, C. T. Russell
Floor-fractured craters on Ceres and implications for interior processes
Several of the impact craters on Ceres have sets of fractures on their floors. These fractures appear similar to those found within a class of lunar craters referred to as floor-fractured craters (FFCs). We have cataloged the Ceres FFCs according to the classification scheme designed for the Moon. An analysis of the depth to diameter ratio for Ceres craters shows that, like lunar FFCs, the Ceres F
Authors
Debra L. Buczkowski, Hanna G. Sizemore, Michael T. Bland, Jennifer E. C. Scully, Lynnae C. Quick, Kynan H. G. Hughson, Ryan S. Park, F. Preusker, Carol A. Raymond, Christopher T. Russell
A new Enceladus global control network, image mosaic, and updated pointing kernels from Cassini's thirteen-year mission
NASA's Cassini spacecraft spent 13 years exploring the Saturn system, including 23 targeted flybys of the small, geologically active moon Enceladus. These flybys provided a wealth of image data from Cassini's Imaging Science Subsystem. To improve the usability of the Enceladus data set, we created a new, global photogrammetric control network for Enceladus that enabled compilation of a versatile c
Authors
Michael T. Bland, Tammy L. Becker, Kenneth Edmundson, Thomas Roatsch, Brent Archinal, D. Takir, G. W. Patterson, G. C. Collins, P. M. Schenk, R. T. Pappalardo, Debbie Cook
Final Mimas and Enceladus atlases derived from Cassini-ISS images
The Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) on-board Cassini took a few high-resolution images of the icy Saturnian satellites Mimas and Enceladus over the last seven years of the Cassini mission during non-targeted flybys. We used the new Mimas images to improve the existing semi-controlled mosaic of Mimas. A new controlled Enceladus mosaic was published recently (Bland et al., 2015; Bland et al. in prep
Authors
Thomas Roatsch, E. Kersten, K.-D. Matz, Michael T. Bland, Tammy L. Becker, Gerald Wesley Patterson, C. Porco
Relaxed impact craters on Ganymede: Regional variation and high heat flows
Viscously relaxed craters provide a window into the thermal history of Ganymede, a satellite with copious geologic signs of past high heat flows. Here we present measurements of relaxed craters in four regions for which suitable imaging exists: near Anshar Sulcus, Tiamat Sulcus, northern Marius Regio, and Ganymede's south pole. We describe a technique to measure apparent depth, or depth of the cra
Authors
Kelsi N. Singer, Michael T. Bland, Paul M. Schenk, William B. McKinnon
Ceres internal structure from geophysical constraints
Thermal evolution modeling has yielded a variety of interior structures for Ceres, ranging from a modestly differentiated interior to more advanced evolution with a dry silicate core, a hydrated silicate mantle, and a volatile‐rich crust. Here we compute the mass and hydrostatic flattening from more than one hundred billion three‐layer density models for Ceres and describe the characteristics of t
Authors
S.J. King, J. C. Castillo-Rogez, M. J. Toplis, Michael T. Bland, C. A. Raymond, C. T. Russell
Bright carbonate surfaces on Ceres as remnants of salt-rich water fountains
Vinalia and Cerealia Faculae are bright and salt-rich localized areas in Occator crater on Ceres. The predominance of the near-infrared signature of sodium carbonate on these surfaces suggests their original material was a brine. Here we analyze Dawn Framing Camera's images and characterize the surfaces as composed of a central structure, either a possible depression (Vinalia) or a central dome (C
Authors
Ottavian Ruesch, Lynnae Quick, Margaret Evelyn Landis, M.M. Sori, O. Čadek, P. Brož, K.A. Otto, Michael T. Bland, S. Byrne, J.C. Castillo-Rogez, H. Hiesinger, R. Jaumann, K. Krohn, L.A. McFadden, A. Nathues, A. Neesemann, F. Preusker, T. Roatsch, P.M. Schenk, J.E.C. Scully, M.V. Sykes, D.A. Williams, C.A. Raymond, C.T. Russell.
Morphological indicators of a mascon beneath Ceres' largest crater, Kerwan
Gravity data of Ceres returned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Dawn spacecraft is consistent with a lower density crust of variable thickness overlying a higher density mantle. Crustal thickness variations can affect the long‐term, postimpact modification of impact craters on Ceres. Here we show that the unusual morphology of the 280 km diameter crater Kerwan may result from
Authors
Michael T. Bland, Anton Ermakov, Carol A. Raymond, David A. Williams, Tim J. Bowling, F. Preusker, Ryan S. Park, Simone Marchi, Julie C. Castillo-Rogez, R.R. Fu, Christopher T. Russell
Evidence for the interior evolution of Ceres from geologic analysis of fractures
Ceres is the largest asteroid belt object, and the Dawn spacecraft observed Ceres since 2015. Dawn observed two morphologically distinct linear features on Ceres's surface: secondary crater chains and pit chains. Pit chains provide unique insights into Ceres's interior evolution. We interpret pit chains called the Samhain Catenae as the surface expression of subsurface fractures. Using the pit cha
Authors
Jennifer E. C. Scully, Debra Buczkowski, Nico Schmedemann, Carol A. Raymond, Julie C. Castillo-Rogez, Scott King, Michael T. Bland, Anton Ermakov, D.P. O'Brien, S. Marchi, A. Longobardo, C.T. Russell, R.R. Fu, M. Neveu
Viscous relaxation as a prerequisite for tectonic resurfacing on Ganymede: Insights from numerical models of lithospheric extension
Ganymede’s bright terrain formed during a near-global resurfacing event (or events) that produced both heavily tectonized and relatively smooth terrains. The mechanism(s) by which resurfacing occurred on Ganymede (e.g., cryovolcanic or tectonic), and the relationship between the older, dark and the younger, bright terrain are fundamental to understanding the geological evolution of the satellite.
Authors
Michael T. Bland, William B. McKinnon
The interior structure of Ceres as revealed by surface topography
Ceres, the largest body in the asteroid belt (940 km diameter), provides a unique opportunity to study the interior structure of a volatile-rich dwarf planet. Variations in a planetary body's subsurface rheology and density affect the rate of topographic relaxation. Preferential attenuation of long wavelength topography (≥150 km) on Ceres suggests that the viscosity of its crust decreases with inc
Authors
Roger R. Fu, Anton Ermakov, Simone Marchi, Julie C. Castillo-Rogez, Carol A. Raymond, Bradford Hager, Maria Zuber, Scott D. King, Michael T. Bland, Maria Cristina De Sanctis, Frank Preusker, Ryan S. Park, Christopher T. Russell
Pitted terrains on (1) Ceres and implications for shallow subsurface volatile distribution
Prior to the arrival of the Dawn spacecraft at Ceres, the dwarf planet was anticipated to be ice-rich. Searches for morphological features related to ice have been ongoing during Dawn's mission at Ceres. Here we report the identification of pitted terrains associated with fresh Cerean impact craters. The Cerean pitted terrains exhibit strong morphological similarities to pitted materials previousl
Authors
H.G. Sizemore, Thomas Platz, Norbert Schorghofer, Thomas Prettyman, Maria Christina De Sanctis, David A. Crown, Nico Schmedemann, Andeas Nessemann, Thomas Kneissl, Simone Marchi, Paul M. Schenk, Michael T. Bland, B.E. Schmidt, Kynan H.G. Hughson, F. Tosi, F Zambon, S.C. Mest, R.A. Yingst, D.A. Williams, C.T. Russell, C.A. Raymond
Non-USGS Publications**
Bland, M. T. 2013. Predicted crater morphologies on Ceres: Probing internal structure and evolution. Icarus, 226, 510-521.
Bland, M. T. and McKinnon, W. B., 2013. Does folding accommodate Europa’s contractional strain? The effect of surface temperature on fold formation in ice lithospheres. Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 2534-2538, doi:10.1002/grl.50506.
Bland, M. T., and McKinnon, W. B., 2012. Forming Europa’s folds: Strain requirements for the production of large-amplitude deformation. Icarus,221, 694-709.
Bland, M. T., Singer, K. S., McKinnon, W. B., and Schenk, P. M. 2012. Enceladus’ extreme heat flux as revealed by its relaxed craters. Geo. Res. Lett., 39, L17204, doi:10.1029/2012GL052736.
Bland, M. T., McKinnon, W. B., and Showman, A. P., 2010. The effects of strain localization on the formation of Ganymede’s grooved terrain. Icarus, 210, 396-410.
Bland, M. T., Showman, A. P., and Tobie, G., 2009. The orbital-thermal evolution and global expansion of Ganymede. Icarus, 200, 207-221.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.