Focussed Episodic Martian Volcanism From Chemical Differentiation Coupled With Variable Thermal Conductivity

Details Focussed Episodic Martian Volcanism From Chemical Differentiation Coupled With Variable Thermal Conductivity Focussed Episodic Martian Volcanism From Chemical Differentiation Coupled With Variable Thermal Conductivity

Dec 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001agufm.p31b..01s&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2001, abstract #P31B-01

Physics

5410 Composition, 5418 Heat Flow, 5430 Interiors (8147), 5455 Origin And Evolution, 5480 Volcanism (8450)

Scientific paper

Recently the Orbiter Camera on the Mars Global Surveyor imaged on some lava flows. The sparse cratering and thence young age of these flows indicates that volcanic activity on Mars is long-lived and perhaps pulsating. These pulses beg for an explanation, not yet provided by one-dimensional convection models simulating the thermal and compositional evolution of the Martian interior. We have, for the first time, simulated the thermochemical evolution of Mars with a two-dimensional numerical model for the entire planetary history. The model is based on a finite-element and tracer technique. Our results show that variable thermal conductivity k(T,P) can maintain sublithospheric ``hot spots'' over time scales of several hundred Ma and is essential in the focussing of hot mantle upwellings at almost the same location. This scenario can explain the persistent pulsating and focussed volcanism in the Tharsis region. The typical time scale of these episodic upwellings is about 100 Ma. The 100 Ma timescale is in accordance with volcanic episodicity derived from likely magma supply rates of the large Tharsis volcanos. A temperature dependent viscosity does not change the results qualitatively. However, we expect the frequency of hot intrusions to decrease with increasing viscosity, i.e. decreasing temperature of the depleted layer.

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