Cometary evolution and cryovolcanism1This article is part of a Special issue that honours the work of Dr. Donald M. Hunten FRSC who passed away in December 2010 after a very illustrious career.

Abstract

Recent space observations of cometary nuclei show evidence of internal (cryovolcanic) activity while retaining aspects of their primitive origins. Using discoveries made during the two most recent cometary encounters: EPOXI at 103P/Hartley 2 and Stardust-NExT at 9P/Tempel 1, we test a hypothesis for their physical evolution, which, if true, could provide a unified basis for understanding the relative ages of their surfaces and the causes of a wide range of cometary activity. We show: (i) that the categorization of 103P/Hartley 2 as hyperactive is not a reflection of the extent of activity over the surface of the nucleus for which we find a normal H₂O production rate; (ii) that the heterogeneous spatial distribution of CO₂and H₂O in the inner comae of 9P/Tempel 1 and 103P/Hartley 2 is best explained by processes associated with cometary activity rather than the presence of primitive compositional heterogeneities in the nucleus; and (iii) that most of the quasi-circular depressions seen on the surface of 9P/Tempel are the result of outburst activity. The apparent absence of circular depressions and large scale layering on 103P/Hartley 2 present a challenge to the evolutionary hypothesis although the small size of its nucleus may ultimately provide an explanation.