Mars Plate Tectonics: Surface Geology and Analyses of Topographic and Geophysical Data

Details Mars Plate Tectonics: Surface Geology and Analyses of Topographic and Geophysical Data Mars Plate Tectonics: Surface Geology and Analyses of Topographic and Geophysical Data

Dec 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001agufm.p32c0561d&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2001, abstract #P32C-0561

Other

1227 Planetary Geodesy And Gravity (5420, 5714, 6019), 5440 Magnetic Fields And Magnetism, 6225 Mars, 8149 Planetary Tectonics (5475), 8157 Plate Motions: Past (3040)

Scientific paper

We propose plate tectonism for the embryonic stage (Early Noachian) of development of Mars to help explain distinct features and landforms (also see Maruyama et al. and Baker et al., this volume), including the long-lived Tharsis magmatic complex. The Tharsis magmatic complex has been recently recognized as an Earth-like superplume (GSA Boston meeting, 2001--Maruyama et al., 2001; Baker et al., 2001; and Dohm et al., 2001), similar to the proposed long-lived, fixed mantle/core-sourcing wet Africa and Pacific superplumes of Earth (Maruyama, 1994, J. Geol. Soc. Japan, v. 100, 24-49; Fukao et al., 1994, J. Geol. Soc. Japan, v. 100, 4-23). Other features and landforms of Mars that may be collectively explained by an Early Noachian plate tectonic phase include: (1) the ancient mountain range of Thaumasia highlands (Dohm and Tanaka, 1999, Planetary and Space Science, v 47, 411-431), (2) the highland-lowland boundary (e.g., Scott and Tanaka, 1986, USGS I-Map 1802-A), (3) tectonic macrostructures, many of which are interpreted to be thrust structures (e.g., Schultz and Tanaka, 1994, J. Geophys. Res., v. 99, 8371-8385), (4) circular domes located near the southwestern margin of the Thaumasia plateau (Dohm and Tanaka, 1999, Planetary and Space Science, v 47, 411-431), many of which (a) occur among the tectonic macrostructures of (3), (b) are interpreted to represent explosive volcanism (e.g., andesitic constructs), and (c) are considered to mark former zones of subduction, and (5) gravity and magnetic anomalies identified in parts of the northern plains and Terra Cimmeria and Terra Sirenum regions (Acuna et al., 1999, Science, v. 284, 790-793; Yuan et al., in press, J. Geophys. Res., Planets), which may symbolize former remnant ocean plates with hotspot tracks of island arcs that are transparent through thick sedimentary covers and zones of accreted terrains, respectively.

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