News
Using Satellite Imagery to Map Lava Tubes on the Moon and Mars
Sometimes, all you need for a new discovery is some creative math. That was the case for a new paper by Edward Williams and Laurent Montési of the University of Maryland’s Department of Geology. They released a brief paper at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference last month that describes a mathematical way to estimate the size of a lava tube using only remote sensing techniques.
A critical starting point was the discovery that the ridge height of a surface above a lava tube is proportional to the cube of the height of the lava tube’s roof. Plenty of lava tubes have been studied in detail on Earth, and those studies were used to form the basis of that equation.
However, until now, there was no relationship between the roof thickness and the details of the shape of the lava tunnel itself. Enter physical modeling – the authors used a physics modeling program (COMSOL Multiphysics) to model different roof heights based on different characteristics of tunnels.
One big difference was the form of the tunnel itself – they focused on two styles. One, known as “laccolith,” was a rectangle, whereas most people would think of a half-ellipse style when considering lava tubes. The modeling program also had to consider things like the material strength of the regolith as well as the pressure inside the tunnel itself – which would usually match the outside atmospheric pressure of largely airless worlds like the Moon and Mars, assuming there is a hole that connects it to the greater atmosphere.
The equation the authors eventually found uses some fancy calculus and is beyond the scope of this article. Still, their model seems to fit the data for most modeled lava caves, including those on Earth.
They turned their model to a well-known cave structure on Earth to prove that point. Valentine’s Cave, located in the Lava Beds National Monument in California, has been studied for decades by NASA researchers as an analog to caves found on the Moon and Mars. Those studies have resulted in accurate cave heights and ridge height estimates using techniques such as LIDAR.
When applying their new model and using the known ridge height of Valentine’s Cave, the authors find a tube height within .07 m of the actual height of the Cave. Not bad for calculating the height only from the ridge height, which is an externally visible feature.
The obvious next step is to attempt to estimate some lava tube heights on our neighboring planetary bodies. At least some remote observatories around the Moon and Mars should be capable of estimating ridge height from their orbital positions. It’s then up to the team to estimate what the inside of the tube might look like. Unfortunately, it will probably be a while before human or robotic explorers enter one of these tubes to confirm the author’s estimates. But there are plenty of proposals for that as well – and one day, undoubtedly, someone or something will indeed step foot inside one of these ancient geological formations.
Learn More:
William & Montési – DETERMINATION OF LAVA TUBE DEPTH AND SHAPE FROM TOPOGRAPHY
UT – It’s Time to Study Lunar Lava Tubes. Here’s a Mission That Could Help
UT – Future Mars Helicopters Could Explore Lava Tubes
UT – Lava Tubes on the Moon Maintain Comfortable Room Temperatures Inside
Lead Image:
Lava tube on Mars
Credit – NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
News
Is now the right time to invest in gold as prices have cooled?
The price of gold has climbed to record highs recently and has remained strong through much of April. And, that growth continued until the precious metal traded at around $2,390 per ounce on April 19, 2024. But since, growth in the price of the precious metal has cooled, with gold’s price now hovering around $2,300 per ounce.
This lull in gold’s price may represent an investment opportunity.
In general, investing is centered around buying assets when prices are low and selling them when prices are high – generating a profit on the difference between the two. So, considering the declines in gold’s price over the past few days, now may be the time to make your investment. But is buying gold during this lull in prices really a good idea?
Compare your gold investment options among leading brokers now.
Gold prices have cooled. Should you buy in now?
With gold’s price down from recent highs, you may be wondering if now is the right time to buy in. There are several reasons the dip in gold’s price may represent an opportunity to buy. Here are some of the biggest:
Prices may rise again
If looking at a gold price chart shows anything for certain, it shows that changes in the overall growth of the medal come in fits and spurts. Periods of price growth are typically followed by periods of declines and vice versa.
But with inflation rising in recent months – and with gold’s reputation as a safe-haven asset that can hedge against inflation – it only makes sense that the price of the precious metal will eventually start to head up again in the future. While attempting to time that directional change may be tricky, buying the precious metal while the price is down gives you the opportunity to take advantage of any upward movement that may be ahead.
Add gold to your portfolio now before prices have a chance to rise.
You may be able to make a quick profit
Gold isn’t known as an asset in which you can earn a quick return, but in today’s market, that may be the case. Don’t forget that in January, gold was trading at just $2,000 per ounce. And, by mid-April, the commodity’s price had climbed to around $2,400 per ounce. That’s about 20% growth in a matter of months, much of which happened since March 1 – an impressive climb for any investment asset.
Perhaps more importantly, gold’s price growth through the beginning of 2024 shows that the commodity doesn’t have to be a buy and hold style investment that you keep in a safety deposit box or precious metal depository for years to come. There’s also the possibility that the commodity’s price could climb further ahead, making it a compelling way to potentially generate a quick profit.
There are other benefits of investing in gold
There are other benefits of investing in gold that have little to do with the price growth seen thus far in 2024 – or the lull in prices seen over the past couple of days. Those benefits include:
- Inflation protection: Gold has long been considered an inflation hedge, and for good reason. When inflation drives the prices of consumer goods and services up – and the value of the dollar down – gold’s price tends to rise. So, it could be used to maintain the value of your portfolio during inflationary economic conditions. That’s important in today’s economic environment as stubborn inflation continues to weigh on the value of the dollar.
- Portfolio diversification: Gold’s price doesn’t always move in the same pattern that bonds or stocks do. So, mixing a reasonable amount of gold into your portfolio (up to 10% of your portfolio assets) as a diversifier could protect you from losses should one or more of your traditional portfolio assets fall in value. “If you have less than 5% – 10% of your net worth in commodities & FX (forex), you should absolutely consider adding exposure to gold and other precious metals,” says Vijay Marolia, money manager and managing partner at the wealth management firm, Regal Point Capital.
The bottom line
Gold’s price has fallen from recent highs – which may represent an opportunity to tap into growth ahead. However, gold isn’t simply a “buy while it’s low and sell while it’s a high” kind of investment opportunity. The commodity can also protect your portfolio from the stubborn inflation we’ve seen thus far in 2024 while acting as a diversification tool that could increase your risk-adjusted portfolio returns. So, consider adding gold to your portfolio today while it has the potential to grow in value.
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