Impact cratering is an important process in the Solar System, ever since the accretion of planets until being a factor for the evolution of life and threat to human civilization. I focus on impacts where volatiles (e.g., water) form part of the target, which may indicate potential life habitats. My work is based on a combination of remote sensing, fieldwork at analogue sites, and laboratory experiments.

I am very interested in the development of new technologies to assist the work (e.g., instrumentation for lunar and Mercury missions, instrumentation for autonomous robotics). My present work at CAB includes the creation of a world unique laboratory for wet-target impact simulations. I have been PI, co-PI, and collaborator in a number of projects that have included fieldwork and expeditions to remote, harsh locations as well as large drilling enterprises in impact craters. One recent project led to the discovery of the first unequivocally proven terrestrial impact site from a binary asteroid. I am science team member of the approved space missions BepiColombo MIXS instrument and DART/Hera. 

ORCID: 0000-0002-5810-9442

SCOPUS Author ID: 6701471393

WoS Researcher ID: L-9058-2014

Palabras clave Impact cratering, Stratigraphy, Field Geology, Numerical Modeling, Exploration Geophysics, Sedimentology, Geology, Tectonics, Geological Mapping, Sedimentary Basins, Structural Geology
Other projectsCo-Principal Investigator of the project “Desarrollo, operacion y explotacion de telescopios espaciales: INTEGRAL-OMC, Bepi Colombo-MIXS, PLATO y Athena”, Spanish Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness, 2015-2016,  ESP2014-59789-P. P.I.s: Miguel Mas Hesse, CAB (CSIC-INTA) and Jens Ormö, CAB (CSIC-INTA). Total funding: 484.000 Eur.

Proyectos

Cosmic impact craters marine targets

LINKA20203

Development of a combined capacity of numerical and experimental simulation of cosmic impacts with special focus on effects of marine targets