2026 R. C. Elphic: Earth Science Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	Current World Ranking	National Ranking	Current National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Earth Science	92	231	197	123	104	287	28764

R. C. Elphic publication distribution in Earth Science in 2026

The chart shows the distribution of publications by all Research.com ranked scientists in the field of Earth Science in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where R. C. Elphic sits on this spectrum.

38 publications 603+

This scientist: 287 publications — 85th percentile

85% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 603 publications or more.

R. C. Elphic D-index placement in Earth Science in 2026

The chart shows the D-index (discipline H-index) distribution of Earth Science scientists ranked by Research.com in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where R. C. Elphic sits on this spectrum.

30 D-Index 106+

This scientist: 92 D-Index — 98th percentile

98% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 106 D-Index or more.

Research.com Recognitions

2025 - Research.com Earth Science in United States Leader Award

Overview

R. C. Elphic is affiliated with the Ames Research Center in the United States. Their research primarily focuses on physics and astronomy, with particular attention to subfields such as astronomy and astrophysics, archeology, and aerospace engineering.

The scientist's work covers topics including astro and planetary science, historical astronomy and related studies, historical, religious, and philosophical studies, planetary science and exploration, as well as space exploration and technology.

Published research by R. C. Elphic includes papers appearing in notable scientific venues. Two recent papers are:

THE SILFELA MISSION TO ARISTARCHUS PLATEAU ON THE MOON, 2024, Abstracts with programs - Geological Society of America
Potential bedrock exposures of Schrödinger impact melt sheet and/or polymict impact breccias within a crater floor fracture system and volcanic vent, 2025, Planetary and Space Science

Frequent collaborators in their research include L. S. Sollitt, Robert C. Anderson, D. L. Buczkowski, A. Colaprete, and Steven D. Dibb.

R. C. Elphic's contributions are published predominantly in:

Abstracts with programs - Geological Society of America
Planetary and Space Science

Best Publications

Initial ISEE magnetometer results - Magnetopause observations

C. T. Russell;R. C. Elphic

1227
Citations
Detection of Water in the LCROSS Ejecta Plume

Anthony Colaprete;Peter Schultz;Jennifer Heldmann;Diane Wooden

1028
Citations
Initial ISEE magnetometer results: magnetopause observations

Unknown

965
Citations
ISEE observations of flux transfer events at the dayside magnetopause

C. T. Russell;R. C. Elphic

841
Citations
Fluxes of fast and epithermal neutrons from Lunar Prospector: evidence for water ice at the lunar poles.

W. C. Feldman;S. Maurice;A. B. Binder;B. L. Barraclough

789
Citations
Depletion of solar wind plasma near a planetary boundary

B. J. Zwan;R. A. Wolf

704
Citations
Global distribution of neutrons from Mars: Results from Mars Odyssey

W. C. Feldman;W. V. Boynton;R. L. Tokar;T. H. Prettyman

656
Citations
FAST satellite observations of large‐amplitude solitary structures

R. E. Ergun;C. W. Carlson;J. P. McFadden;F. S. Mozer

648
Citations
Direct evidence of surface exposed water ice in the lunar polar regions

Shuai Li;Shuai Li;Paul G. Lucey;Ralph E. Milliken;Paul O. Hayne

611
Citations
Diviner Lunar Radiometer Observations of Cold Traps in the Moon’s South Polar Region

David A. Paige;Matthew A. Siegler;Jo Ann Zhang;Paul O. Hayne

547
Citations
The driving of the plasma sheet by the solar wind

Joseph E. Borovsky;Michelle F. Thomsen;Richard C. Elphic

523
Citations
Global distribution of near-surface hydrogen on Mars

W. C. Feldman;T. H. Prettyman;S. Maurice;J. J. Plaut

514
Citations
Understanding the Lunar Surface and Space-Moon Interactions

Paul Lucey;Randy L. Korotev;Jeffrey J. Gillis;Larry A. Taylor

485
Citations
Elemental composition of the lunar surface: Analysis of gamma ray spectroscopy data from Lunar Prospector

T. H. Prettyman;J. J. Hagerty;R. C. Elphic;W. C. Feldman

484
Citations
Evidence for water ice near the lunar poles

W. C. Feldman;S. Maurice;D. J. Lawrence;R. C. Little

421
Citations
Observations of reconnection of interplanetary and lobe magnetic field lines at the high‐latitude magnetopause

J. T. Gosling;M. F. Thomsen;S. J. Bame;R. C. Elphic

414
Citations
Global Elemental Maps of the Moon: The Lunar Prospector Gamma-Ray Spectrometer

D. J. Lawrence;W. C. Feldman;B. L. Barraclough;A. B. Binder

407
Citations
The Earth's plasma sheet as a laboratory for flow turbulence in high-β MHD

Joseph E. Borovsky;Richard C. Elphic;Herbert O. Funsten;Michelle F. Thomsen

350
Citations
FAST observations in the downward auroral current region: Energetic upgoing electron beams, parallel potential drops, and ion heating

C. W. Carlson;J. P. McFadden;R. E. Ergun;M. Temerin

349
Citations
Plasma flow reversals at the dayside magnetopause and the origin of asymmetric polar cap convection

J. T. Gosling;M. F. Thomsen;S. J. Bame;R. C. Elphic

345
Citations
FAST satellite observations of electric field structures in the auroral zone

R. E. Ergun;C. W. Carlson;J. P. McFadden;F. S. Mozer

340
Citations

Frequent Co-Authors

David J. Lawrence Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

Christopher T. Russell University of California, Los Angeles

Thomas H. Prettyman Planetary Science Institute

Michelle F. Thomsen Planetary Science Institute

Sylvestre Maurice Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology

Olivier Gasnault Paul Sabatier University

James A. Slavin University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

David T. Vaniman Planetary Science Institute

David J. McComas Princeton University

J. T. Gosling University of Colorado Boulder

External Links

Personal website of R. C. Elphic

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