Livio Leonardo Tornabene

Livio Leonardo Tornabene
Affiliation

University of Western Ontario

Email
ltornabe@uwo.ca
Field of Study

Impact cratering as a geologic process, Terrestrial geology (including Earth, Mars and Moon, emphasis on Mars, Remote Sensing (expertise in VNIR imaging, and both multi- and hyper-spectral VNIR and TIR spectroscopy), Mission operations/training.

Over 21 years in on-going mission experience: Official team member of 2006 MRO/HiRISE and Co-Investigator on 2016 ExoMars-TGO/CaSSIS and 2028 ExoMars Rover/PanCam

Previous missions: MODY/THEMIS, MER/Spirit, LRO/LROC

Location: London, ON (closest to Detroit, MI airport). US-based: Pompano Beach, Florida

Education: PhD. in Geology/Earth & Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee - Knoxville

Research Interests:

Multispectral applications of TGO/CaSSIS data including co-analysis with MRO/CRISM applied to various investigations into the composition and geologic history of the surface of Mars, including:

  • A multi-dataset characterization of altered and unaltered surfaces in the Libya Montes and Tyrrhena Terra regions of Mars (Study with Janice Bishop)

Investigations into the origins of the clay-bearing units in:

  • NW Noachis Terra, including Her Desher/Nirgal Vallis 
  • The Oxia Planum landing site for the 2028 ExoMars Rover
  • Multi- and hyperspectral VNIR characteristics of water-ice on Mars with emphasis on multispectral detection of water-ice with both HiRISE and CaSSIS
  • Central uplift morphology and composition: what do they tell us about the impact process and the interior and history of Mars?
  • ... Megabreccias on Mars

The role of impact cratering in creating and shaping planetary surfaces, including: 

  • Aqueous alteration of surfaces due to impacts into volatile-rich targets (Earth, Mars some Dwarf planets)
  • Ejecta emplacement and the extent of landscape modification due to impact cratering
  • How impact cratering may have contributed to the topography of Terrestrial bodies (e.g., hemispherical crustal dichotomy on Mars)