Alternative Title
Thermal Measurements and Modeling of the Moon and Mars: New Approaches and Constraints on Thermophysical Properties and Heat Flow
Subject Area
Earth, Atmospheric and Marine Sciences
Abstract
Heat flow constrains the thermal evolution, internal structure, and geodynamic history of planetary bodies, yet direct extraterrestrial measurements remain scarce. This work examines how near-surface thermal observations, including legacy heat flow datasets, incomplete in situ experiments, and passive microwave measurements from a ground-penetrating radar, can improve subsurface thermal constraints and recover meaningful information from datasets not originally acquired for heat flow science.
The lunar component reevaluates the Apollo 15 and 17 Heat Flow Experiment records—the only in situ lunar thermal gradient measurements until 2025. Long-term subsurface warming, conductivity uncertainty, and discrepancies between measured temperature amplitudes and Diviner-based model predictions complicate their interpretation. Using restored datasets and updated models, this study reexamines key uncertainty sources, investigates surface disturbance and probe-related perturbations, and refines understanding of the Apollo near-surface thermal record.
Two complementary Martian case studies follow. For InSight, partial HP³ penetration data and radiometric surface temperatures are combined with three-dimensional thermal models to quantify lander-induced perturbations and assess the limits of partial-penetration heat flow retrieval absent independent conductivity constraints. For Mars 2020, a passive-radiometry framework is developed for RIMFAX by treating its passive listening mode as a microwave thermal dataset. Instrumental, environmental, and astrophysical calibration corrections are applied, followed by forward modeling of brightness temperatures to explore near-surface thermophysical structure and geothermal environments at Jezero crater.
Together, these studies show that incomplete and nontraditional datasets yield meaningful thermal constraints when paired with rigorous forward modeling and explicit treatment of measurement-specific systematics, offering guidance for future planetary heat flow investigations.
Degree Date
Spring 5-16-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences
Advisor
Matthew Siegler
Second Advisor
Matthew Hornbach
Third Advisor
Zhong Lu
Fourth Advisor
Patrick Russell
Fifth Advisor
Stephen Arrowsmith
Number of Pages
215
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
White, Mackenzie, "Measurements of Near-Surface Thermal Environments on the Moon and Mars: Novel Approaches and Implications for Planetary Heat Flow" (2026). Earth Sciences Theses and Dissertations. 42.
https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_earthsciences_etds/42
