Sarah Black

My research interests span a wide variety of geological processes (e.g. volcanism, sedimentation, weathering and erosion) and all address the fundamental nature of surface processes on the solid bodies within our Solar System. I am driven by my desire to understand the geological evolution of a planet or moon and what effects these processes may have had on the potential for habitability of that body. One major question we currently seek to understand is whether life arose elsewhere in our Solar System. To begin to answer that question, we must first understand the geologic history of our area of interest. Many of the questions I strive to answer involve geologic mapping and geomorphology, surface operations and mission planning, science education, remote sensing and instrument development, and computer modeling of geologic processes on extraterrestrial surfaces. My primary specialties are Geographic Information Systems (GIS), mapping, volcanology, and education and outreach.