Martian Rootless Cones as Indicators of Recent Deposits of Shallow Equatorial Ground Ice

Details Martian Rootless Cones as Indicators of Recent Deposits of Shallow Equatorial Ground Ice Martian Rootless Cones as Indicators of Recent Deposits of Shallow Equatorial Ground Ice

May 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001agusm...v42a08l&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2001, abstract #V42A-08

Statistics

5480 Volcanism (8450), 6225 Mars, 8450 Planetary Volcanism (5480)

Scientific paper

Small, cratered cones have been identified in high-resolution Mars Orbiter Camera images of the Cerberus Plains and Amazonis Planitia, Mars [1].These cones occur in small clusters independent of obvious fissures, are superimposed on fresh lava flows, and do not appear to issue lavas themselves. Observed cones have basal diameters <250m and large summit craters. The structures are similar in both morphology and dimensions to the larger of Icelandic rootless cones,or pseudocraters [2], which form due to phreatomagmatic explosions caused by mechanical mixtures of tube-fed lavas with near-surface water-saturated substrates[3]. If the martian cones form in a similar manner as terrestrial rootless cones,then they may provide constraints on the spatial and temporal distribution of martian ground ice. Lavas associated with the western Amazonis cone fields(24N, 171W) show well-preserved surface morphologies and few superimposed impact craters. Impact crater statistics indicate that these lavas and superimposed cones may have been emplaced less than 10 Ma, indicating near-surface ice must have been present at the time. The presence of young rootless cones helps constrain the origins of ground ice. Relic ground ice is unlikely to be a volatile source for rootless eruptions as regolith in equatorial regions is likely to be desiccated to a depth of 200-m [4]. Vapor exchange between the regolith and atmosphere due to obliquity variations [5] may input enough water into the subsurface to reproduce martian cones of observed diameters calculated by explosion models[6]. However, surficial waters released in outflow events may be required to recharge requisite quantities of ground ice. Most proposed rootless cone fields appear in or close to fluvial features of the Cerberus Plains and Marte Valles[7]. Nested summit craters of some cones indicate a multi-stage constructional process, which would require recharge of aquifers beneath the erupting cones. Such a process would require the substrate to be permeable and contain enough ground ice to allow water to flow to the explosion point. [1]Lanagan, P. D. et al.(2001)Geophys Res Let, submitted. [2]Thorarinsson, S.(1953)Bull Vol, 14, 3-44. [3]Thordarson, T.(2000)Volcano-Ice Interactions on Earth and Mars, 36. [4]Clifford, S. M., and Hillel, D.(1983)J Geophys Res, 88, 2456-2474. [5]Mellon, M. T., and B. M. Jakosky.(1995)J Geophys Res, 100, 11781-11799. [6]Fagents, S. A. and R. Greeley.(2000)Volcano-Ice Interactions on Earth and Mars, 13. [7]Burr, D. M. et al.(2001)Geophys Res Abs.

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