RESEARCH
Titan Wind Waves
Cornell University
August 2022 - Present
Titan, a large moon of Saturn, is the only body in our solar system, beyond Earth, with evidence of stable liquids on it's surface. However, these liquids are not water, they are mixtures of liquid methane and ethane in large lakes and seas. I use numerical modeling to understand the formation and propagation of waves on titan's lakes and seas driven by surface winds. Understanding Titan's waves is essential to understanding the costal geomorphology of Titan's lakes and seas and how wave erosion plays a part in shaping the coastline.
Abstracts
AGU 2023
Northeast Titan
Meeting 2023
Detelich, C. E., Schneck, U. G., Hayes, A. G., Perron, J. T., and Steckloff, J., 2023. Surfing Extraterrestrial Waves: Solving the Mysteries of Titan’s Lakes. American Geological Union Conference.
Detelich, C. E., Schneck, U. G., Hayes, A. G., Perron, J. T., and Steckloff, J., 2023. Waves on Titan. Northeast Titan Meeting.
Europa Tectonics and geophysics
University of Alaska Anchorage | Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory | Cornell University
August 2019 - Present
Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter, is heavily tectonically deformed due to various potential global-scale stresses. With an extremely young surface age of only ~90 million years, a mechanism for recycling large swaths of Europa's icy crust is necessary in order to compensate for the creation of new surface material from dilational bands.
I investigate large scale tectonic features on Europa, how they relate to potential global tidal stresses, and whether the tectonic features can be explained with plate-like movement. Specifically, I've investigated Argadnel Regio, Agenor Linea, Astypalaea Linea, Libya Linea, and surrounding regions.
For this investigation, I use programs such as ArcGIS to create highly detailed maps of the mentioned study regions. I also use SatStressGUI to model how fractures on Europa should be oriented given various tidal stress parameters. I also use GPlates to reconstruct disaggregated terrain and gain an understanding of how the terrain looked prior to deformation.
Publications
In Prep (2024)
Nov. 2022
JGR - Planets
Aug. 2021
Master's Thesis
Detelich, C. E. and Kattenhorn, S. A., 2022. Regional Scale Tectonic Features at Argadnel Regio and Agenor Linea, Europa: Plate Tectonic Evidence or Global Tidal Forcing? [in prep]
Collins, G. C., Patterson, G. W., Detelich, C. E., Prockter, L., Kattenhorn, S. A., Cooper, C. M., Rhoden, A. R., Cutler, B. B., Oldrid, S. R., Perkins, R., Rezza, C. A., 2022. Episodic Plate Tectonics on Europa: Evidence for Widespread Patches of Mobile-lid Behavior in the Antijovian Hemisphere. Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets 127, Issue 11. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JE007492.
Detelich, C. E., 2021. Regional Scale Tectonic Features at Argadnel Regio and Agenor Linea, Europa: Evidence in Support of a Plate Tectonic Paradigm (Master's Thesis). University of Alaska Anchorage. | Link
Abstracts
IT Invited Talk — TTalk — PPoster
2023
2021
2020
P Turtle, E. P., et al., Detelich, C., et al., 2023. The Europa Imaging System (EIS): High-Resolution, 3-D Insight into Europa’s Geology, Ice Shell, and Potential for Current Activity. American Geological Union.
Turtle, E. P., et al., Detelich, C., et al., 2023. The Europa Imaging System (EIS) Flight Instruments in Spacecraft and Environmental Testing for Europa Clipper. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Abstracts 54, #2532.
IT Detelich, C. E., Collins, G. C., and Patterson, G. W., 2022. A Brief History of Plate Motions on Europa: Astypalaea Linea, Libya Linea, and Cyclades Macula. Geological Society of America Conference.
P Detelich, C. E. and Kattenhorn, S. A., 2022. Global-Scale Tidal Forcing and Plate Tectonics have Both Shaped the Tectonic Evolution of Europa. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Abstracts 53, #2135.
P Detelich, C. E., Patterson, G. W., and Collins, G. C., 2022. Reconstructing the History of Plate Motions Involved with the Formation of Libya Linea, Astypalaea Linea, and Cyclades Macula, Europa. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Abstracts 53, #2118.
T Detelich, C. E. and Kattenhorn, S. A., 2021. Regional Scale Tectonic Features at Argadnel Regio and Agenor Linea, Europa: Plate Tectonic Evidence or Global Tidal Forcing?. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Abstracts 52, #2461.
P Detelich, C. E. and Kattenhorn, S. A., 2020. Distribution and Significance of Tectonic Patterns in Argadnel Regio, Europa. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Abstracts 51, #1671.
2022
Press
Planetary News - Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) | December 2022
"Europa's Surface May be an Analog to Plate Tectonics on Earth"
Eos - Science News by AGU | November 2022
"Europa's Plate Tectonic Activity is Unlike Earth's"
International Astronomical Union (IAU) | August 2021
"Names Approved for Europa: Ancaeus Linea, Arachne Linea, and Acacallis Linea"
Iapetus Geomorphology
North Carolina State University
August 2016 - August 2019
Iapetus, an icy moon of Saturn, has an enigmatic equatorial ridge with elevations of up to 20 kilometers. I morphologically characterized this ridge and conducted areal crater density analysis to determine the ridge's age relative to its surroundings in an effort to determine the origin of this feature. I presented this work at the 49th annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, where I earned a Dwornik Award for my poster presentation. This research was published in Icarus in 2021 and had a figure displayed as the journal issue's cover image.
Abstracts and Publications
Icarus 2021
LPSC 2018
Detelich, C. E., Byrne, P. K., Dombard, A. J., Schenk, P. M., 2021. The morphology and age of the Iapetus equatorial ridge supports an exogenic origin. Icarus 367, 114559. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2021.114559 | Link
Detelich, C. E., Byrne, P. K., Dombard, A. J., and Schenk, P. M., 2018. Investigating the Morphology of the Iapetus Equatorial Ridge. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Abstracts 49, #1356. | Abstract | Poster
Press
International Association for Geomorphology | August 2021
Mars Surface Processes
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (June 2019- August 2019)
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (Summer 2017)
NC State University (January 2017 - December 2017)
Mars Aeolian Erosion | NASA/ORISE Internship at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
The Olympus Maculae are a series of low-albedo, low-dust, high thermal inertia features located within the Olympus Mons Aureole ~200 kilometers west of Olympus Mons on Mars. My preliminary research aimed to conduct the first full characterization of the Olympus Maculae where I have mapped thousands of aeolian and volcanic features across the region. This research was presented at the Geological Society of America (GSA) conference in 2018 and at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) in 2019.
Mars Fluvial Erosion | Internship at Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
During the summer of 2017, I worked with a team of Smithsonian researchers to investigate the erosional processes and characteristics of basaltic sediment. This project aimed to discover distinct characteristics of basaltic sediment, observable by Mars rovers, that would provide insight into martian sediment transport processes (fluvial, aeolian, or glacial). During my internship, I analyzed samples of Hawaiian and Australian basaltic sediments at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Additionally, I mapped fluvial channels on Mars for comparison to the geomorphology of basaltic fluvial channels on Earth. I traveled to Hawai'i for two weeks for fieldwork related to basaltic fluvial channels and basaltic sediment.
Mars Tectonics | Undergraduate Research Assistant at NC State
Noctis Labyrinthus is a highly tectonically deformed region of Mars located between Valles Marineris and the Tharsis volcanoes. I worked with a team of undergraduates to map normal faults within this region to supplement the research of an upper-level Ph.D. student.
Abstracts and Publications
In Prep (2024)
LPSC 2020
EPSC-DPS 2019
LPSC 2019
GSA 2018
Runyon, K. D., Detelich, C. E., Seelos, K. D., Viviano, C., Buczkowski, D., O'Connor, R., Harryman, J., Peña, A., 2023. Cycles of Change: Long and Short Term Aeolian Evolution of the Olympus Maculae, Mars. [in prep]
Seelos, K. D., Detelich, C. E., Runyon, K. D., Murchie, S. L., Bishop, J. L., Rogers, A. D., and Kraft, K. E., 2020. Geologic Setting of the Olympus Maculae, Mars. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Abstracts 51, #2985. | Abstract
Detelich, C. E., Runyon, K. D, and Seelos, K. D., 2019. Characterizing Anomalous Wind Eroded Terrain on Mars: The Olympus Maculae. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Abstracts 50, #1861. | Abstract | Poster
Runyon, K. D., Seelos, K. D., and Detelich, C. E., 2019. Variably dusty yardangs in Mars’ Olympus Maculae. EPSC-DPS, EPSC-DPS2019-721-1. | Abstract
Detelich, C. E., Runyon, K. D, and Seelos, K. D., 2018. Clues to the Aeolian History of Medusa Fossae Materials as Observed in the Dust-Free Windows of the Olympus Maculae, Mars. GSA, Paper #54-8. | Abstract