The Planetary Sedimentology Lab at Penn State works to understand how the sedimentary record reflects the evolution of ancient landscapes. We take a wide array of approaches towards answering this broad question, including field geology, 3D seismic interpretation of Earth’s subsurface, numerical modeling, and the investigation of modern sedimentary systems. We also value working beyond Earth, using remote sensing data of Mars and other planets and moons, as well as rover observations, to reconstruct the histories of different worlds across the solar system and to examine sedimentary processes and records formed within unique boundary conditions.
- Can martian fluvial ridges be used to measure structural tilt? (NASA Solar System Workings)
- Bedform reconstruction from planview crossbed geometry
- Simulating the evolution of ancient shoreline topography from Mars-like erosion over billions of years
Cardenas, B.T., Lamb, M.P., and Grotzinger, J.P. Carving martian landscapes from ancient sedimentary basins. Accepted for publication in Nature Geoscience.
Cardenas, B.T., Grotzinger, J.P., Lamb, M.P., Lewis, K. Fedo, C., Dietrich, W., Bryk, A., Stein, N., Turner, M., and Caravaca, G. Barform deposits of the Carolyn Shoemaker formation, Gale crater, Mars. Accepted for publication in Journal of Sedimentary Research.
Cardenas, B.T., Mohrig, D., Goudge, T.A., Hughes, C.M., Levy, J.S., Swanson, T., Mason, J., and Zhao, F., 2020, The anatomy of exhumed river-channel belts: Bedform- and belt-scale kinematics of the Ruby Ranch Member, Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah, USA. Sedimentology, v. 67, p. 3655-3682.