title: Regolith migration and sorting on asteroid Itokawa.
abstract: High-resolution images of the surface of asteroid Itokawa from the Hayabusa mission reveal it to be covered with unconsolidated millimeter-sized and larger gravels. Locations and morphologic characteristics of this gravel indicate that Itokawa has experienced considerable vibrations, which have triggered global-scale granular processes in its dry, vacuum, microgravity environment. These processes likely include granular convection, landslide-like granular migrations, and particle sorting, resulting in the segregation of the fine gravels into areas of potential lows. Granular processes become major resurfacing processes because of Itokawa's small size, implying that they can occur on other small asteroids should those have regolith.
authors: Department of Museum Collection Utilization Studies, University Museum, University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyoku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. hm@um.u-tokyo.ac.jp
authors: Hideaki
authors: H
authors: Miyamoto
authors: Hajime
authors: H
authors: Yano
authors: Daniel J
authors: DJ
authors: Scheeres
authors: Shinsuke
authors: S
authors: Abe
authors: Olivier
authors: O
authors: Barnouin-Jha
authors: Andrew F
authors: AF
authors: Cheng
authors: Hirohide
authors: H
authors: Demura
authors: Robert W
authors: RW
authors: Gaskell
authors: Naru
authors: N
authors: Hirata
authors: Masateru
authors: M
authors: Ishiguro
authors: Tatsuhiro
authors: T
authors: Michikami
authors: Akiko M
authors: AM
authors: Nakamura
authors: Ryosuke
authors: R
authors: Nakamura
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Saito
authors: Sho
authors: S
authors: Sasaki