Digital Elevation Model Data from: Measuring Erosional and Depositional Patterns Across Comet 67P's Imhotep Region

Recommended citation for this dataset: Abhinav Jindal, Samuel Birch, Alexander Hayes, Fiona P. Özyurt, Adam Issah, Megan Barrington, Jason Soderblom, Randolph Kirk, Raphael Marschall, Jean-Baptiste Vincent. (2023) Digital Elevation Model Data from: Measuring Erosional and Depositional Patterns Across Comet 67P's Imhotep Region. [dataset] Cornell University eCommons Repository. https://doi.org/10.7298/qgyq-ym43These files contain the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data for the results reported in Jindal et al. Measuring Erosional and Depositional Patterns Across Comet 67P's Imhotep Region. In Jindal et al. we found: Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko displays a pronounced hemispherical dichotomy in surface morphology where the southern hemisphere exhibits more erosional features than the northern hemisphere due to receiving much greater solar radiation. Consequently, it is generally assumed that particles are ejected from the southern hemisphere through sublimation and a significant fraction eventually descends as airfall, covering the northern terrains. To investigate this south-to-north material transfer during the comet's perihelion passage, we use photoclinometry to measure material redistribution within its most extensive smooth terrain deposit around the Imhotep region. However, our findings do not align with this expected trend. Instead, we show that local-scale processes substantially impact the erosion and accumulation of material, with one area experiencing net erosion while another nearby region, just a few dozen meters away, sees sediment buildup. Our analysis underscores the complex interplay of processes shaping Comet 67P's surface, and likely comets more generally.This research was supported by the Rosetta Data Analysis Program (80NSSC19K1307) and the Heising-Simons Foundation (51 Pegasi b Fellowship to S.P.D.B)