Dr. David Crown Senior Scientist Planetary Science Institute crown @psi.edu

Research Interests

David Crown's research interests are in planetary geology, physical volcanology, and remote sensing, with a focus on understanding the geologic histories of the rocky planetary bodies in the solar system. Investigations of the Earth, the Moon, Mars, Venus, and Io are accomplished by a combination of geomorphologic studies using spacecraft images, spectral analyses of remotely acquired data sets, geologic field investigations of analogue features on Earth, and quantitative analyses including statistical characterizations, theoretical modeling, and computer simulations.

Current research projects examine fluvial and other erosional processes that have severely modified the oldest parts of the Martian surface, as well as include comparative analyses of volcanic deposits, eruption dynamics, and volcanic flow emplacement processes on Earth, Venus, Mars, and Io. Studies of volcanic landforms in Hawaii, the western and southwestern U.S., and in the Central Andes of Bolivia are designed to develop methodologies for interpreting volcanic processes from morphologic characteristics and remote sensing signatures that can be utilized to assess planetary volcanism. Geological mapping studies of Mars, Venus, and Io provide fundamental information on their geological histories by documenting the spatial distribution of geologic terrains from which interpretations of temporal changes in surface, atmospheric, and interior conditions can be made.