Auriol Rae

Impact Cratering is a critical geological process across the Solar System. Studying planetary cratering is challenging because it occurs only periodically, the Earth’s geological record of impacts is sparse, and impact craters on other planets can only realistically be studied by remote sensing. Furthermore, the processes that occur in an impact cratering event cannot be simultaneously reproduced by laboratory experiments. Numerical simulations allow the dynamics of impact cratering to be investigated at scales unachievable in the laboratory, however, they rely upon a good understanding of the physical processes, properties of materials, and comparison with observational and experimental results.

My work combines observational and experimental methods with numerical modelling to understand the highly dynamic processes associated with impacts and their planetary consequences. Recently, my research has focussed on dynamic rock failure, complex crater formation, and shock metamorphism.