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Grain size-sensitive creep in ice II.
Tomoaki Kubo1, William B Durham, Laura A Stern
1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan. kubotomo@geo.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|March 4, 2006
Summary
Fine-grained water ice II exhibits a stress-sensitive creep mechanism at low stress conditions. This grain size-dependent behavior is crucial for understanding plastic deformation within icy moons of the outer solar system.
Area of Science:
- Planetary Science
- Materials Science
- Geophysics
Background:
- Icy moons in the outer solar system are composed of various ice phases.
- Understanding the rheology of these ices is critical for modeling planetary interiors.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the dominant creep mechanism in fine-grained water ice II under low strain rates.
- Determine the relationship between stress, grain size, and rheological behavior.
Main Methods:
- Rheological experiments were conducted on fine-grained water ice II.
- Cryogenic scanning electron microscopy was used to analyze microstructural changes.
Main Results:
- A transition in the stress exponent from 5 to 2.5 was observed.
- This transition strongly correlated with a decrease in grain size from 40 to 6 micrometers.
Conclusions:
- Grain size-sensitive creep is identified as the dominant mechanism in water ice II at low stresses.
- This mechanism is likely significant for plastic strain within the interiors of icy moons.
