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U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3237

Prepared for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Global Geologic Map of Ganymede

By Geoffrey C. Collins, G. Wesley Patterson, James W. Head, Robert T. Pappalardo, Louise M. Prockter, Baerbel K. Lucchitta, and Jonathan P. Kay

Thumbnail of and link to report PDF (16.3 MB)Summary

Ganymede is the largest satellite of Jupiter, and its icy surface has been formed through a variety of impact cratering, tectonic, and possibly cryovolcanic processes. The history of Ganymede can be divided into three distinct phases: an early phase dominated by impact cratering and mixing of non-ice materials in the icy crust, a phase in the middle of its history marked by great tectonic upheaval, and a late quiescent phase characterized by a gradual drop in heat flow and further impact cratering. Images of Ganymede suitable for geologic mapping were collected during the flybys of Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 (1979), as well as during the Galileo Mission in orbit around Jupiter (1995–2003). This map represents a synthesis of our understanding of Ganymede geology after the conclusion of the Galileo Mission.

We summarize the properties of the imaging dataset used to construct the map, previously published maps of Ganymede, our own mapping rationale, and the geologic history of Ganymede. Additional details on these topics, along with detailed descriptions of the type localities for the material units, may be found in the companion paper to this map (Patterson and others, 2010).

First posted February 11, 2014

For additional information, contact:

Contact Astrogeology Research Program staff
Astrogeology Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
2255 N. Gemini Dr.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
http://astrogeology.usgs.gov/


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Suggested citation:

Collins, G.C., Patterson, G.W., Head, J.W., Pappalardo, R.T., Prockter, L.M., Lucchitta, B.K., and Kay, J.P., 2013, Global geologic map of Ganymede: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3237, pamphlet 4 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:15,000,000, https://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sim3237.

ISSN 2329-1311 (print)

ISSN 2329-132X (online)



 


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