Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufm.v23e2170s&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #V23E-2170
Physics
[1160] Geochronology / Planetary And Lunar Geochronology, [5420] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Impact Phenomena, Cratering, [5475] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Tectonics, [5494] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Instruments And Techniques
Scientific paper
Remotely constructing the tectonic history of a planetary surface requires calculating precise fault ages, not always possible with current analytical methods. Previous studies relied on (1) analyzing cross-cutting relationships between faults and adjacent crater-dated surfaces (Wise et al., 1997; Dohm & Tanaka, 1999), requiring that faults must encounter surfaces both older and younger than the faulting and that the difference in age between the two surfaces must be small, or (2) the interaction between linear features - such as faults, ridges, and channels - and the craters they cross to define a unique and datable population of craters that interact with the feature(s) (Tanaka, 1982; Fassett & Head, 2008). The latter approach is restricted to areas with low-feature densities, since high densities result in overlapping survey areas between adjacent features and time-intensive surveys of several individual features. We extend this second approach to areas with high densities of linear features, by counting all craters over a surface and categorizing them according to their relationship to the features being studied (e.g. “faulted,” “unfaulted” and “unclear”). We apply our method to the Thaumasia plateau, a martian volcano-tectonic province, to date the regional faulting. We calculate two stages of faulting, separated by 0-1 Ga (Fig. 1): the first formed the extensional faults of Thaumasia Fossae and within the Thaumasia highlands, and the second formed Claritas and Melas Fossae and was coeval with the cessation of volcanism that formed Solis and Sinai plana. Our timeline constricts the duration of tectonic activity determined through previous studies of regional faulting, which call for four to six distinct stages of faulting (Tanaka & Davis, 1988; Dohm & Tanaka, 1999). This requires that these stages occurred over a narrower age range than previously assumed, below the resolution of our technique. Faulting of the plateau has been attributed to various stresses induced by the nearby Tharsis volcanic bulge: volcanic construction, thermal expansion/uplift, and a large-scale gravity slide caused by volcanic bulging and loading. Our age determinations, coupled with geomorphic evidence, are consistent with its evolution as a gravity slide, forming akin to terrestrial volcanic spreading zones. The plateau’s evolution will be discussed in the context of terrestrial analogs: the Gulf of Mexico continental shelf and Mt. Etna, Italy. Context map and calculated sequence of faulting for Thaumasia plateau and vicinity. Dashed lines indicate the extent of areas surveyed for this study.
Batbataar J.
Gillespie Anna
Montgomery David R.
Smith Matthew R.
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