| Issue |
EPJ Web Conf.
Volume 340, 2025
Powders & Grains 2025 – 10th International Conference on Micromechanics on Granular Media
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Article Number | 06014 | |
| Number of page(s) | 4 | |
| Section | Geophysical, Environmental and Planetary Processes | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202534006014 | |
| Published online | 01 December 2025 | |
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202534006014
Dynamics of regolith dunes on small planetary bodies
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering
2 Department of SPASE: Space, Planetary & Astronomical Sciences and Engineering Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, UP, India
3 Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Canada
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Published online: 1 December 2025
Abstract
The surfaces of small planetary bodies are covered with regolith which keeps evolving with time. Studying the dynamics of these regolith can explain various surface features observed in recent space explorations. We use a computationally efficient depth-averaged theory for dense granular flows to study the dynamics of regolith dunes on small planetary bodies. Extending the approach of [1, 2], we derive the governing equations in spherical coordinates. This framework is then used to simulate the evolution of regolith dunes on a spherical and (101995) Bennu shaped asteroid. We discuss the significant effects of Coriolis force and surface topography.
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2025
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