Dr. Joseph Ryan MICHALSKI
Department of Earth Sciences
The University of Hong Kong
Biography
- Associate Professor in Department of Earth Sciences at The University of Hong Kong
- Research focuses on the application of thermal and near infrared reflectance spectroscopic remote sensing along with laser altimetry, and stereo imaging to systematically identify, map and characterize ancient volcanic structures on the planet Mars in order to characterize the geological evolution of the martian crust with implications for crustal recycling mechanisms that pre-dated plate tectonics
- RFS project - to explore ancient volcanotectonics on Mars using remote sensing data returned from spacecraft in orbit around the red planet. Remote sensing datasets will be used to explore and quantify Noachian (>3.6 billion years old) volcanism through morphometrics, mapping and infrared spectral measurements in the ancient highlands of Mars
- Awards and Honours:
- RGC Research Fellow (2023)
- Fellow of Geological Society of America (2022)
- Fellow of Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (2019)
Project Title
- Diverse Volcanism and Volcanotectonics on Ancient Mars
Award Citation
This research focuses on the application of thermal and near infrared reflectance spectroscopic remote sensing along with laser altimetry, and stereo imaging to systematically identify, map and characterize ancient volcanic structures on the planet Mars in order to characterize the geological evolution of the martian crust with implications for crustal recycling mechanisms that pre-dated plate tectonics. The origins of plate tectonics on this planet are not known because most of the geological record has been lost to erosion and tectonic recycling, but Mars contains a rich, complex record of ancient volcanotectonics, the details of which will shed light on early planetary processes. Life originated on this planet in energy-rich hydrothermal environments controlled by pre-plate tectonic processes. But studying similar processes on Mars, we gain a better understanding of possible links between volcanotectonics and life’s possible origins on Mars.
