EAST TENNESSEE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
April 2025 Virtual Meeting
Monday, April 14th, 2025
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Award Winning Student Presentations
Thermal Inertia from Above: Applying a Ground-Based Morning Heating Method to
UAV Thermal Imaging
By
Sonja Schmoyer
Abstract
Thermal inertia (TI) is a key property in terrestrial and planetary science, used to assess surface heterogeneity, grain size, and induration. On Earth, apparent thermal inertia (ATI) serves as an estimate of TI, derived from surface albedo and the temperature difference between midday and predawn, typically requiring a diurnal surface temperature cycle. This study builds on Sabol et al. (2006), which used tripod-based thermal imagery to analyze heating and cooling rates of surfaces with varying ATI, identifying a timeframe representative of the ATI-heating rate relationship, termed Differential ATI (DATI). Here, we extend this ground-based approach to UAV-based thermal imaging. High-resolution thermal images were collected using a DJI Mavic 3T UAV to generate individual surface temperature maps for each hour over a 27-hour period. A morning timeframe of 07:00-09:00 AM was selected to evaluate the expected inverse correlation between DATI and ATI. A pixel-wise analysis reveals a strong and statistically significant inverse relationship between DATI and ATI (R = -0.642, p < 0.001), reinforcing previous findings and demonstrating the robustness of this approach. Conducted on a flat, minimally shaded surface, this study provided an idealized test environment. Future work will extend this methodology to more complex terrains to assess the effects of surface roughness and elevation on DATI accuracy. These findings support UAV-based DATI as a valuable tool for high-resolution thermal mapping in terrestrial and planetary studies, significantly reducing data acquisition time and improving field efficiency.
Biography
Sonja Schmoyer is a Ph.D. student in the Earth,
Environmental, and Planetary Science department at the University of
Tennessee, Knoxville, under the advisement of Dr. Jeff Moersch. Her
research focuses on UAV-based remote sensing for studying surface
properties with implications for planetary environments, as well as
applications in ecological and geospatial analysis.
Thermophysical Properties of Martian Dunes: Using Thermal Inertia to Infer Surface Properties
By
Nick Brey
Abstract
Dune fields are widespread across Mars, with several dunes and
their activity being cataloged by several studies. It is expected
that active dunes have a unimodal, narrow range of grain sizes, and
that dunes inactive due to cementation show a wider range of grain
sizes and, therefore, a larger difference in the diurnal apparent
thermal inertia. The aim of this study is to determine if a
cementing agent or a wider range of grain sizes is present in dunes
using thermophysical data and to investigate the composition of both
active and inactive dunes, with a particular focus on identifying
possible reasons for mixed grain sizes within an inactive dune.
Biography
Bio: Nick Brey is a PhD student studying thermal remote
sensing, nuclear remote sensing, and sediment physics with a focus
on dune transportation. He received his BS in Physics and his MS in
Astrophysics from the University of Tennessee, where he studied
supernovae and computational simulations of thermonuclear reaction
networks in stars. His current work is a mixture of neutron
interactions with Titan surface material for the upcoming Dragonfly
mission and studying dunes, both modeling and thermophysical
properties. Nick hopes to go in to teaching and research after his
PhD.
Characterization of soft sediment deformation within the Hogwallow Flats member,
Shenandoah Formation, Jezero crater, Mars
By
Conner Lesh
Abstract
This study characterizes soft sediment deformation observed at Hogwallow Flats, Jezero crater, Mars, with the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, highlighting distinct lens-shaped deformation regions within finer-grained, darker-toned sediment (Unit B), which exhibit sharp, erosional boundaries cutting through the lighter-toned sediment (Unit A). These deformation features, including recumbent and possible sheath folds as well as clastic dikes indicating dewatering, provide strong evidence of slumping, suggesting Hogwallow Flats experienced gravitational instability consistent with a lower-fan depositional environment.
Biography
Conner Lesh is a first-year PhD student at the University
of Tennessee studying Mars geology, surface processes, and analogs
with his advisor Linda Kah. His projects focus on using Earth
analogs to better understand the geology and surface processes of
Mars and to better constrain fundamental biases with in-situ
interpretation during mission science. Conner earned his B.S. in
Geology from California State University, Bakersfield in 2022, then
began an internship at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the Mars
2020 science team before working on the RIMFAX instrument operations
team at UCLA until joining Linda on the SHERLOC/WATSON instrument
team at UT, Knoxville. Conner hopes to work as a research scientist
on planetary exploration missions after completing his PhD.
Greetings, and welcome to the April 14, 2025 ETGS virtual meeting.
If you attend via Zoom as a courtesy please mute your cell phone or
the microphone in your laptop/tablet to minimize background noise
and feedback echoes. We will also make an effort to mute all
participants - at least until the presentation is finished.
Please use the chat feature to type any comments or questions you
may have. We recommend that you send questions for the speaker to
"everyone" so all participants can see the question. In the
interest of time, we may hold the Q&A at the end of the
presentation.
We will create a virtual attendance list. It is not always possible
to tell who is participating on-line, especially for those joining
by phone, so please email
etgs@live.com
to be listed on the attendance sheet. Let us know exactly how your
name should appear on the list. We will add a note explaining the
lack of signatures due to remote participation and have an ETGS
officer sign as usual.
As always, we welcome and appreciate your feedback and suggestions
for improvement.
ETGS News:
-
New ETGS mugs are available! If you would like to purchase a mug, email etgs@live.com and include "ETGS Mug" in the subject line.
|
|
ETGS Coffee & Beer Mugs... |
 |
We look forward to seeing you at the next meeting.
ETGS is a volunteer organization. We need your help to
continue serving those interested in the geology of East
Tennessee and beyond. Please email us at
etgs@live.com
if you would consider assisting in one of the following open
positions. It is a great opportunity to expand your personal
and professional network.
President
Tony McClain
Vice
President
David Carlone
Secretary
J.
Brad Stephenson
Treasurer
Seaira Stephenson
Webmaster/Social Media Coordinator
Bob
Gelinas
|
Page updated March 26, 2025 |