Work

PlanetGSD 1.0: a cross-planetary grain-size distribution dataset from the Earth, the Moon, and the Mars

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: . Comparative studies of surface processes across planetary bodies are hindered by the lack of consistently parameterized, openly accessible soil data, especially the grain-size distribution (GSD) data. Here we present PlanetGSD 1.0, the first standardized and unified cross-planetary GSD database. It comprises 6,527 measurements from Earth (4,419 samples, 20 geomorphic settings), the Moon (379 samples, 8 missions), and Mars (1,729 rover-derived estimates, 4 landing areas), covering seven orders of magnitude in grain size (0.0001 – 600 mm). The traditional textural fractions have been transferred into a unique parameter set (μ, Dc, n) derived from the unified GSD (UGSD) function (median R2 = 0.988), with quality metrics, georeferenced metadata, site-level Weibull statistics, and open-source analysis codes. Technical validation confirms high fitting quality across all samples (97.8 % with R2 > 0.95) and robust inter-operator reproducibility for Martian image-derived measurements (coefficient of variation < 8.3 % for key parameters). The complete dataset is openly available on Figshare (Zhang, 2026) under CC BY 4.0 license. PlanetGSD 1.0 enables robust cross-planetary comparison of regolith properties, benchmarking of simulants, and data-driven landing site assessment, establishing a foundational resource for planetary science.

Source: Earth system science data

DOI: 10.5194/essd-18-4983-2026

Authors: Jun Zhang, Yong Li

Institutions: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Tsinghua University

Language: English

Topic: Planetary Science and Exploration

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,509