Planetary Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering with Emphasis on Mars presents a pioneering exploration of rock mechanics principles applied to celestial bodies beyond Earth. Emerging from the author's establishment of the Planetary Rock Mechanics Commission within ISRM in 2019, this comprehensive work analyses spectacular imagery from Mars, Moon, and Venus rovers, plus spacecraft data from comets and asteroids, to develop theoretical frameworks for understanding extraterrestrial rock behaviour and engineering challenges.
The book offers unique insights into planetary rock formations, weathering processes, discontinuity patterns, and slope stability phenomena across the solar system. Key features include detailed Martian geological analysis, comparative studies of terrestrial planetary bodies, and practical applications for underground cavity stability and impact crater formation. Readers benefit from comprehensive coverage of fundamental laws adapted for planetary conditions, stress state analysis of celestial bodies, and seismic activity patterns beyond Earth. Special attention examines similarities between Earth's Salda Lake and Mars' Jezero Crater, providing valuable geological analogues.
This essential resource serves rock mechanics and engineering communities, academic researchers in planetary science and geological engineering, graduate students, and industry professionals in space mining and exploration missions. The book appeals to interdisciplinary researchers studying celestial bodies for scientific, commercial, or colonization purposes, offering foundational knowledge in planetary material mechanics and extraterrestrial engineering challenges.
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction 2. Solar system and terrestrial planetary bodies 3. Interior structure, geology and tectonics of terrestrial planetary bodies 4. Rocks and discontinuities in terrestrial planetary bodies 5. Fundamental laws, constitutive models and testing 6. Stress state of terrestrial planetary bodies 7. Seismicity in terrestrial planetary bodies 8. Dynamics of impacts and crater formation 9. Slope Stability 10. Stability of underground cavities and sinkholes (skylights) 11. Characteristics of hydro-magnesite of Salda Lake (Türkiye) and their implications on rocks and Jezero Crater in Mars 12. Comets and Asteroids 13. Further issues in terrestrial planetary rock mechanics 14. Settlement and exploitation in terrestrial planetary bodies 15. References
About the Author :
Ömer Aydan was born in 1955, and studied Mining Engineering at the İstanbul Technical University, Turkey (B.Sc., 1979), Rock Mechanics and Excavation Engineering at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (M.Sc., 1982), and finally received his Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering from Nagoya University, Japan in 1989. He worked at Nagoya University as a research associate (1987-1991), and at the Department of Marine Civil Engineering at Tokai University, first as Assistant Professor (1991-1993), then as Associate Professor (1993-2001), and finally as Professor (2001-2010). He then became Professor of the Institute of Oceanic Research and Development at Tokai University, and he moved to Department of Civil Engineering, the University of Ryukyus (Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan) as the professor of Material Science and he retired at the end of March, 2020 as Emeritus Professor. He has been an adjunct staff of the University of the Ryukyus Disaster Prevention Research Center for Island Regions since 2014 and served as the director of the Center until he retired. He established the natural disaster simulation facility at the center. Dr. Ömer Aydan has played an active role on numerous ISRM, JSCE, JGS, SRI and Rock Mech. National Group of Japan committees, and has organized several national and international symposia and conferences. He organized 2019 Rock Dynamics Summit in Okinawa in May 7-11, 2019 as the world top class conference in Rock Dynamics. He was also made Honorary Professor in Earth Science by Pamukkale University in 2008. He served as the Vice President at Large of the International Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering for the term of 2019-2023. He was appointed as the associate editor of the Journal of Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering in April, 2020. He is the author and/or one of the authors of more than 900 scientific papers and the author of eight international books on rock mechanics and co-authored five more international books.
