Planetary Origins and Evolution at Imperial (2016-2019)
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: Earth Science and Engineering
Abstract
How from a cloud of dust and gas did we arrive at a planet capable of supporting life? This is one of the most fundamental of questions, and engages everyone from school children to scientists. We now know much of the answer: We know that stars, such as our Sun, form by the collapse of interstellar clouds of dust and gas. We know that planets, such as Earth, are constructed in a disk around their host star known as the planetary nebula, formed by the rotation of the collapsing cloud of dust and gas. We know that 4.5 billion years ago in the solar nebula, surrounding the young Sun, all the objects in our Solar System were created through a process called accretion. And among all those bodies the only habitable world yet discovered on which life evolved is Earth.
There is, however, much that we still do not know about how our Solar System formed. Why, for example, are all the planets so different? Why is Venus an inferno with a thick carbon dioxide atmosphere, Mars a frozen rock with a thin atmosphere, and Earth a haven for life? The answer lies in events that predated the assembly of these planets; it lies in the early history of the nebula and the events that occurred as fine-dust stuck together to form larger objects known as planetesimals; and in how those planetesimals changed through collisions, heating and the effects of water to become the building blocks of planets. Our research will follow the evolution of planetary materials from the origins of the first dust grains in the protoplanetary disk, through the assembly of planetesimals within the solar nebula to the modification of these objects as and after they became planets.
Evidence preserved in meteorites provides a record of our Solar System's evolution. Meteorites, together with cosmic dust particles, retain the fine-dust particles from the solar nebula. These dust grains are smaller than a millionth of a metre but modern microanalysis can expose their minerals and compositions. We will study the fine-grained components of meteorites and cosmic dust to investigate how fine-dust began accumulating in the solar nebula; how heating by an early hot nebula and repeated short heating events from collisions affected aggregates of dust grains; and whether magnetic fields helped control the distribution of dust in the solar nebula. We will also use numerical models to simulate how the first, fluffy aggregates of dust were compacted to become rock.
As well as the rocky and metallic materials that make up the planets, our research will examine the source of Earth's water and the fate of organic materials that were crucial to the origins of life. By analysing the isotopes of the volatile elements Zn, Cd and Te in meteorites and samples of Earth, Moon and Mars we will establish the source and timing of water and other volatiles delivered to the planets in the inner Solar System. In addition, through newly developed methods we can trace the history of organic matter in meteorites from their formation in interstellar space, through the solar nebula and into planetesimals. Reading the highly sensitive record in organic matter will reveal how cosmic chemistry furnished the Solar System with the raw materials for life.
Once the planets finally formed, their materials continued to change by surface processes such as impacts and the flow of water. Our research will examine how impacts of asteroids and comets shaped planetary crusts and whether this bombardment endangered or aided the emergence of life. We will also study the planet Mars, which provides a second example of a planetary body on which life could have appeared. Imagery of ancient lakes on Mars will reveal a crucial period in the planet's history, when global climate change transformed the planet into an arid wasteland, to evaluate the opportunity for organisms to adapt and survive and identify targets for future rover and sample return missions.
There is, however, much that we still do not know about how our Solar System formed. Why, for example, are all the planets so different? Why is Venus an inferno with a thick carbon dioxide atmosphere, Mars a frozen rock with a thin atmosphere, and Earth a haven for life? The answer lies in events that predated the assembly of these planets; it lies in the early history of the nebula and the events that occurred as fine-dust stuck together to form larger objects known as planetesimals; and in how those planetesimals changed through collisions, heating and the effects of water to become the building blocks of planets. Our research will follow the evolution of planetary materials from the origins of the first dust grains in the protoplanetary disk, through the assembly of planetesimals within the solar nebula to the modification of these objects as and after they became planets.
Evidence preserved in meteorites provides a record of our Solar System's evolution. Meteorites, together with cosmic dust particles, retain the fine-dust particles from the solar nebula. These dust grains are smaller than a millionth of a metre but modern microanalysis can expose their minerals and compositions. We will study the fine-grained components of meteorites and cosmic dust to investigate how fine-dust began accumulating in the solar nebula; how heating by an early hot nebula and repeated short heating events from collisions affected aggregates of dust grains; and whether magnetic fields helped control the distribution of dust in the solar nebula. We will also use numerical models to simulate how the first, fluffy aggregates of dust were compacted to become rock.
As well as the rocky and metallic materials that make up the planets, our research will examine the source of Earth's water and the fate of organic materials that were crucial to the origins of life. By analysing the isotopes of the volatile elements Zn, Cd and Te in meteorites and samples of Earth, Moon and Mars we will establish the source and timing of water and other volatiles delivered to the planets in the inner Solar System. In addition, through newly developed methods we can trace the history of organic matter in meteorites from their formation in interstellar space, through the solar nebula and into planetesimals. Reading the highly sensitive record in organic matter will reveal how cosmic chemistry furnished the Solar System with the raw materials for life.
Once the planets finally formed, their materials continued to change by surface processes such as impacts and the flow of water. Our research will examine how impacts of asteroids and comets shaped planetary crusts and whether this bombardment endangered or aided the emergence of life. We will also study the planet Mars, which provides a second example of a planetary body on which life could have appeared. Imagery of ancient lakes on Mars will reveal a crucial period in the planet's history, when global climate change transformed the planet into an arid wasteland, to evaluate the opportunity for organisms to adapt and survive and identify targets for future rover and sample return missions.
Planned Impact
Public Sector
Widening participation in STEM subjects is a key aim of the Government's Higher Education Policy (Higher Education White Paper, 2011) due to a significant achievement gap between the public and private education sector (CBI 2010). Widening participation across social-economic groups will be achieved through engagement with our inspiring science program and benefits from its accessibility to students in the crucial "crossroads" KS3.0-4.0 group and extensive media coverage. Our outreach strategy (see Impact Plan) evolves existing relationships with the BA, the Royal Society, the Royal Institution, the Natural History Museum, Greenwich Observatory and STFC Science in Society. Our activities include direct contact open days and school visits as well as online education resources such as the Rock Library (all Projects) and Impact Earth (Project A&G) that engage with more than 400k people each year.
Private Sector
The private sector will benefit from our technology and methodology development and widened participation in STEM. Spinout will be exploited through Imperial Innovations, the Technology Transfer Office of Imperial College. Our review of knowledge exchange potential with the TTO has identified several areas for implementation:
(a) The application of double spike methods to toxicology. Isotopic tracing methods are being exploited through PROSPECT, a private-public partnership that provides the UK contribution to the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (Project C).
(b) Extraction and analysis of organics are applicable to a wide range of environmental, forensic and petrochemical applications. Sephton (PI project B) has a successful track record with the TTO in KE including patents in the areas of forensics and heavy oil extraction (Filed patent: P45622EP).
(c) The iSALE shock physics code (Project A&G) is an established free-to-use tool whose users include the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermarston. Industry collaborations are being developed.
(d) High resolution image analysis of the martian surface (Project F) will provide important constraints for spacecraft design. Commercial spacecraft construction is a key UK industry, worth £7.5 billion to the UK economy (UK Space Agency, BIS, 2011).
(e) New isotope analysis techniques (Project C) have been successfully applied to early diagnosis of breast cancer and industry exploitation is under discussion (Larner et al., 2015).
Third Sector
Third sector organisations are important in widening participation in the UK (DfE, DCSF-00699-2009). Our program already engages with the BA, The Royal Institute, Royal Society and the Royal Astronomical Society (see Impact Plan). We are also involved with amateur societies UK-wide giving ~16 lectures a year. During the grant we expect to contribute to the BA Festival of Science, The RS Summer exhibition and the Science Media Centre (RI).
General Public
The IC Strategy document 2010-2014 states "Imperial College London is committed to engaging with public audiences about the relevance of its research to society. This commitment builds on the skilled and creative ways that Imperial researchers and students already engage with public audiences." Communicating our research to the public is an important activity and our research results in ~60 media articles a year. PIs also give 7 media interviews per year each and act as advisors on documentaries (e.g. How to build a Planet, 2014). We also have a long standing relationship with the STFC Science in Society (SiS) program including constructing the Lunar Samples Package (M. Genge).
Widening participation in STEM subjects is a key aim of the Government's Higher Education Policy (Higher Education White Paper, 2011) due to a significant achievement gap between the public and private education sector (CBI 2010). Widening participation across social-economic groups will be achieved through engagement with our inspiring science program and benefits from its accessibility to students in the crucial "crossroads" KS3.0-4.0 group and extensive media coverage. Our outreach strategy (see Impact Plan) evolves existing relationships with the BA, the Royal Society, the Royal Institution, the Natural History Museum, Greenwich Observatory and STFC Science in Society. Our activities include direct contact open days and school visits as well as online education resources such as the Rock Library (all Projects) and Impact Earth (Project A&G) that engage with more than 400k people each year.
Private Sector
The private sector will benefit from our technology and methodology development and widened participation in STEM. Spinout will be exploited through Imperial Innovations, the Technology Transfer Office of Imperial College. Our review of knowledge exchange potential with the TTO has identified several areas for implementation:
(a) The application of double spike methods to toxicology. Isotopic tracing methods are being exploited through PROSPECT, a private-public partnership that provides the UK contribution to the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (Project C).
(b) Extraction and analysis of organics are applicable to a wide range of environmental, forensic and petrochemical applications. Sephton (PI project B) has a successful track record with the TTO in KE including patents in the areas of forensics and heavy oil extraction (Filed patent: P45622EP).
(c) The iSALE shock physics code (Project A&G) is an established free-to-use tool whose users include the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermarston. Industry collaborations are being developed.
(d) High resolution image analysis of the martian surface (Project F) will provide important constraints for spacecraft design. Commercial spacecraft construction is a key UK industry, worth £7.5 billion to the UK economy (UK Space Agency, BIS, 2011).
(e) New isotope analysis techniques (Project C) have been successfully applied to early diagnosis of breast cancer and industry exploitation is under discussion (Larner et al., 2015).
Third Sector
Third sector organisations are important in widening participation in the UK (DfE, DCSF-00699-2009). Our program already engages with the BA, The Royal Institute, Royal Society and the Royal Astronomical Society (see Impact Plan). We are also involved with amateur societies UK-wide giving ~16 lectures a year. During the grant we expect to contribute to the BA Festival of Science, The RS Summer exhibition and the Science Media Centre (RI).
General Public
The IC Strategy document 2010-2014 states "Imperial College London is committed to engaging with public audiences about the relevance of its research to society. This commitment builds on the skilled and creative ways that Imperial researchers and students already engage with public audiences." Communicating our research to the public is an important activity and our research results in ~60 media articles a year. PIs also give 7 media interviews per year each and act as advisors on documentaries (e.g. How to build a Planet, 2014). We also have a long standing relationship with the STFC Science in Society (SiS) program including constructing the Lunar Samples Package (M. Genge).
Organisations
- Imperial College London, United Kingdom (Collaboration, Lead Research Organisation)
- University of Chicago, United States (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Planetary Science Institute, United States (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- University of Oxford, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- George Washington University, United States (Project Partner)
- Julich Research Centre, Germany (Project Partner)
- Carnegie Institution for Science (CIS) (Project Partner)
- Curtin University of Technology, Australia (Project Partner)
- The Natural History Museum, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- University of California Riverside, United States (Project Partner)
Publications
Aerts JW
(2019)
Microbial Communities in Sediments From Four Mildly Acidic Ephemeral Salt Lakes in the Yilgarn Craton (Australia) - Terrestrial Analogs to Ancient Mars.
in Frontiers in microbiology
Archer C
(2017)
Inter-calibration of a proposed new primary reference standard AA-ETH Zn for zinc isotopic analysis
in Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry
Bellucci J
(2019)
Terrestrial-like zircon in a clast from an Apollo 14 breccia
in Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Bowling T
(2019)
Post-impact thermal structure and cooling timescales of Occator crater on asteroid 1 Ceres
in Icarus
Collins G
(2017)
A numerical assessment of simple airblast models of impact airbursts
in Meteoritics & Planetary Science
Collins G
(2017)
Punch combo or knock-out blow?
in Nature Geoscience
Collins GS
(2020)
A steeply-inclined trajectory for the Chicxulub impact.
in Nature communications
Daubar I
(2018)
Impact-Seismic Investigations of the InSight Mission
in Space Science Reviews
Davison T
(2017)
Impact-induced compaction of primitive solar system solids: The need for mesoscale modelling and experiments
in Procedia Engineering
Davison T
(2016)
MESOSCALE MODELING OF IMPACT COMPACTION OF PRIMITIVE SOLAR SYSTEM SOLIDS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Derrick J
(2018)
Mesoscale simulations of shock compaction of a granular ceramic: effects of mesostructure and mixed-cell strength treatment
in Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering
Derrick J
(2019)
Investigating shock processes in bimodal powder compaction through modelling and experiment at the mesoscale
in International Journal of Solids and Structures
Devillepoix H
(2020)
A Global Fireball Observatory
in Planetary and Space Science
Forman L
(2016)
Hidden secrets of deformation: Impact-induced compaction within a CV chondrite
in Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Forman L
(2017)
Defining the mechanism for compaction of the CV chondrite parent body
in Geology
Genge M
(2017)
Vesicle dynamics during the atmospheric entry heating of cosmic spherules
in Meteoritics & Planetary Science
Genge M
(2017)
An increased abundance of micrometeorites on Earth owing to vesicular parachutes Vesicular Micrometeorites
in Geophysical Research Letters
Genge M
(2016)
Olivine settling in cosmic spherules during atmospheric deceleration: An indicator of the orbital eccentricity of interplanetary dust OLIVINE SETTLING IN COSMIC SPHERULES
in Geophysical Research Letters
Genge M
(2017)
The mineralogy and petrology of I-type cosmic spherules: Implications for their sources, origins and identification in sedimentary rocks
in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
Genge M
(2018)
Accumulation mechanisms of micrometeorites in an ancient supraglacial moraine at Larkman Nunatak, Antarctica
in Meteoritics & Planetary Science
Genge M
(2017)
The entry heating and abundances of basaltic micrometeorites
in Meteoritics & Planetary Science
Genge M
(2018)
Electrostatic levitation of volcanic ash into the ionosphere and its abrupt effect on climate
in Geology
Genge M
(2020)
Micrometeorites: Insights into the flux, sources and atmospheric entry of extraterrestrial dust at Earth
in Planetary and Space Science
Genge M
(2016)
The origins of I-type spherules and the atmospheric entry of iron micrometeoroids
in Meteoritics & Planetary Science
Genge M
(2018)
Comment on "Unmelted cosmic metal particles in the Indian Ocean" by Prasad et al.
in Meteoritics & Planetary Science
Goldberg T
(2016)
Molybdenum drawdown during Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Event 2
in Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Gordon P
(2016)
Rapid habitability assessment of Mars samples by pyrolysis-FTIR
in Planetary and Space Science
Gordon PR
(2018)
A Method for Choosing the Best Samples for Mars Sample Return.
in Astrobiology
Holm-Alwmark S
(2017)
Combining shock barometry with numerical modeling: Insights into complex crater formation-The example of the Siljan impact structure (Sweden)
in Meteoritics & Planetary Science
Hopkins R
(2019)
Formation of Complex Craters in Layered Targets With Material Anisotropy
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Johnson B
(2016)
Spherule layers, crater scaling laws, and the population of ancient terrestrial impactors
in Icarus
Johnson B
(2018)
Controls on the Formation of Lunar Multiring Basins
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Johnson BC
(2016)
Formation of the Orientale lunar multiring basin.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Jourdan F
(2017)
Collisional history of asteroid Itokawa
in Geology
Kring D
(2017)
Chicxulub and the Exploration of Large Peak-Ring Impact Craters through Scientific Drilling
in GSA Today
Kring DA
(2016)
Peak-ring structure and kinematics from a multi-disciplinary study of the Schrödinger impact basin.
in Nature communications
Lewis JMT
(2018)
The Search for Hesperian Organic Matter on Mars: Pyrolysis Studies of Sediments Rich in Sulfur and Iron.
in Astrobiology
Luther R
(2018)
Effect of target properties and impact velocity on ejection dynamics and ejecta deposition
in Meteoritics & Planetary Science
Lyons R
(2019)
The effects of impacts on the cooling rates of iron meteorites
in Meteoritics & Planetary Science
Madden-Nadeau A
(2019)
Fiamme degassing structures and their implications for the post-emplacement temperatures and H2O contents of high-grade ignimbrites
in Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research
McMullan S
(2019)
Uncertainty quantification in continuous fragmentation airburst models
in Icarus
Miljkovic K
(2016)
Subsurface morphology and scaling of lunar impact basins Morphology and Scaling of Lunar Basins
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Monteux J
(2016)
Consequences of large impacts on Enceladus' core shape
in Icarus
Montgomery W
(2016)
The nature of organic records in impact excavated rocks on Mars.
in Scientific reports
Montgomery W
(2016)
PRESSURE EFFECTS IN POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC NITROGENATED HETEROCYCLES (PANHs): DIAGNOSTIC QUALITIES AND COSMOBAROMETRY POTENTIAL
in The Astrophysical Journal
| Description | Our work has constrained the consequences of impacts on the Moon, Earth, Mars, asteroids and icy satellites through state-of-the-art numerical simulations. In particular, our work has shown how the mass, speed and angle of ejecta produced in impacts on asteroids is sensitive to target properties such as strength and porosity, which has important implications for our ability to deflect an asteroid on collision course with Earth. In addition, our simulations of much larger impacts on the Moon showed that the consequences of these impacts are sensitive to the thermal state of the Moon at the time of impact and that upper mantle rocks should be exhumed during formation of the largest lunar basins. We also developed and validated a numerical toolkit for quantifying impact processing of primitive solids and meteorite parent bodies at a range of scales. Application of this novel modelling approach bridges the gap between large-scale asteroid processes and micro-scale analysis of meteoritic samples. For example, the work helped interpret evidence for impact recorded in asteroid Itokawa sample returned to Earth by Japanese space mission and in primitove carbonaceous chondrite metorites. The model was validated by comparison with novel experiments in which the shock compression of analogue precursor chondrite material was probed using state of the art dynamic X-ray radiography. Finally, we also used our simulations of the Chicxulub impact, responsible for the dinosaur mass extinction, to help interpret rocks recovered from the crater by a $10.5M international drilling project in 2016. This led to the identification of observational evidence for rock fluidization and intense fragmentation during the impact. The results explain how large impact craters collapse to become almost flat. |
| Exploitation Route | Impact cratering is a fundamental process in the solar system and many aspects of planetary science rely on understanding of impact processes that were improved by this research. These include solar system formation and planetary migration models; asteroid deflection; and production of meteorites. The lunar science community will benefit from improved understanding of the consequences of large impacts, including the provenance of materials surrounding the basin that will be the sites of future human moon landings. |
| Sectors | Education,Other |
| Description | Societal: Impact Earth, an online asteroid impact (https://impact.ese.ic.ac.uk/ImpactEarth/) was updated as part of this project. Economic: Novel isotopic analysis methods developed for planetary science applications were applied to investigate Cd contents of cocoa in partnership with Mars Chocolate UK Ltd |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Education |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic |
| Title | Dataset for "A steeply-inclined trajectory for the Chicxulub impact" |
| Description | Data files for 5 timesteps from each simulation. File name convention is A<angle>_v<velocity>_t<time>.npz where time is in seconds (or the string "final"). Each file contains several cell-based fields (pressure, temperature, specific internal energy, density), tracer fields (peak tracer pressure, x,y,z locations) and grid information (nodal and cell-centred coordinates). For an example of how to access all that information, see the "Timestep" class at the top of the "plot_frame.py" python script. Python script "plot_frame.py" will create a figure similar to the panels in Figures 2 and 3 in the paper. Use the flags -a, -V and -t to set the desired impact angle, impact velocity and time. iSALE3D input files for the 8 simulations can be found in inputfiles.tgz Postprocessing python scripts can be found in postprocessing.tgz |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://zenodo.org/record/3667833 |
| Title | Dataset for "A steeply-inclined trajectory for the Chicxulub impact" |
| Description | Data files for 5 timesteps from each simulation. File name convention is A<angle>_v<velocity>_t<time>.npz where time is in seconds (or the string "final"). Each file contains several cell-based fields (pressure, temperature, specific internal energy, density), tracer fields (peak tracer pressure, x,y,z locations) and grid information (nodal and cell-centred coordinates). For an example of how to access all that information, see the "Timestep" class at the top of the "plot_frame.py" python script. Python script "plot_frame.py" will create a figure similar to the panels in Figures 2 and 3 in the paper. Use the flags -a, -V and -t to set the desired impact angle, impact velocity and time. iSALE3D input files for the 8 simulations can be found in inputfiles.tgz Postprocessing python scripts can be found in postprocessing.tgz |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://zenodo.org/record/3667832 |
| Description | Planetesimal evolution |
| Organisation | Planetary Science Institute - Arizona |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | access to data, software, and significant intellectual input into your collaborator/partners research. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Own time and computational resources data |
| Impact | Several published papers |
| Start Year | 2009 |
| Description | Planetesimal evolution |
| Organisation | University of Chicago |
| Department | Department of the Geophysical Sciences |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | access to data, software, and significant intellectual input into your collaborator/partners research. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Own time and computational resources data |
| Impact | Several published papers |
| Start Year | 2009 |
| Description | Shock Physics |
| Organisation | Imperial College London |
| Department | Institute of Shock Physics |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Numerical model development; numerical simulation of shock wave propagation |
| Collaborator Contribution | Funding of PDRA and PhD student for numerical model development |
| Impact | Several conference abstracts and papers in preparation |
| Start Year | 2009 |
| Title | iSALE shock physics code |
| Description | iSALE (impact-SALE) is a multi-material, multi-rheology shock physics code for simulating high speed impacts and other violent geophysical phenomena. iSALE includes constitutive and porous-compaction models specifically developed for impact simulations. The code is being continually developed, improved and maintained by research groups at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin and Imperial College London. |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2006 |
| Open Source License? | Yes |
| Impact | iSALE has been used in pioneering studies of the formation of large impact craters on the Earth and the influence of target property variations on crater formation, the influence of a water layer on crater formation, as well as investigating the mobility of large rock avalanches.The software has been extensively validated against laboratory experiments and used to show, for the first time in numerical simulations, the important effect of friction and porosity on crater growth in granular materials. |
| URL | http://www.isale-code.github.io |
| Description | A steeply-inclined trajectory for the Chicxulub impact press release |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Press release and Imperial College News item about: A steeply-inclined trajectory for the Chicxulub impact. Collins, G.S., Patel, N., Davison, T.M., Rae, A.S.P., Morgan, J.V., Gulick, S.P.S., Nature Communications 11, 1480. (2020). The work diagnoses the direction and angle of attack of the asteroid impact responsible for the KPg extinction. The impact angle was among the deadliest possible and constrains the volume of hazardous climate changing gases injected into the atmosphere. The work received widespread international media coverage. Led to several interviews with radio, internet and print media. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.altmetric.com/details/82771548 |
| Description | ABC News article on my Geology paper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Australian Broadcasting Corporation ran an article on my Geology paper on cosmic dust |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013,2016 |
| Description | Daily Mail article on my Geology paper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Daily Mail ran an article on my Geology paper on cosmic dust |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Economist article on my Geology paper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The economist ran an article on my Geology paper on cosmic dust |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Huffington Post article on my Geology paper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Huffington Post ran an article on my Geology paper on cosmic dust |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Il Giornale (Italy) article on my Geology paper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The magazone Il Giornale (Italy) ran an article on my Geology paper on cosmic dust |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Impact: Earth! |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | As part of this Fellowship and in collaboration with international colleagues I updated my very successful, interactive web program for estimating the consequences of impacts on Earth [http://impact.ese.ic.ac.uk]; from the size of the crater and the probability of such an event occurring, to the speed of the winds from the blast wave and thermal radiation from the hot vapour plume. Users of the site include the general public and scientific community, from primary and secondary school children, through university undergraduates, to professional scientists and journalists. Recent improvements include a new, more visual interface, additional features (such as predictions of tsnumai wave heights) and projection of damage contours onto Google Earth. The release of our updated web program was front-page news on the BBC website and received widespread media attention, e.g.: BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11685803 USA Today http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2010/11/asteroid-impact-calculator/1 Time http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2029288,00.html Science http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/11/scienceshot-destroy-earth-from.html?ref=hp |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021 |
| URL | http://impact.ese.ic.ac.uk |
| Description | Irish Examiner article on my Geology paper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Irish Examiner ran an article on my Geology paper on cosmic dust |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Irish News article on my Geology paper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Irish News (a national newspaper) ran an article on my Geology paper on cosmic dust |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Mirror article on my Geology paper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Mirror newspaper ran an article on my Geology paper on cosmic dust |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | New Scientist article on GRL paper on vesicular parachutes |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | New scientist ran an article on my paper in Geophysical Research Letters |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | New Scientist article on my Geology paper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | New Scientist ran an article on my Geology paper on cosmic dust |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | New Scientist article on my Nature paper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | New Scientist publish an article on my Nature paper on cosmic dust |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23030741-900-shooting-stars-show-earth-had-oxygen-eons-before... |
| Description | Quo magazine ran an article on my geology paper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Quo magazine (Spain) ran an article on my Geology paper on cosmic dust |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Seeker article on my Geology paper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Seeker magazine ran an article on my Geology paper on Cosmic Dust |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Singapore Strait Times article on Geology paper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Strait Times (Singapore) ran an article on my Geology paper on cosmic dust |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Sky and Telescope article on my Geology paper on Cosmic Dust |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Sky and Telescope Magazine ran an article on my Geology paper on cosmic dust |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Telegraph article on my Geology paper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Telegraph ran an article on my Geology paper on cosmic dust |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Telegraph article on my Nature paper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Telegraph article on my Nature paper on Cosmic Dust |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/05/11/fossilised-stardust-could-hold-secret-to-origins-of-li... |