Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2001
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001agufm.p22d..05g&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2001, abstract #P22D-05
Physics
5480 Volcanism (8450), 6225 Mars, 8429 Lava Rheology And Morphology, 8494 Instruments And Techniques
Scientific paper
Because an active lava flow has yet to be observed on Mars, and available data on surface composition is of limited scope (e.g., the SNC meteorites, or data collected by Sojourner) or resolution (e.g., the Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emissions Spectrometer [MGS TES]), Martian eruption and emplacement parameters must be inferred from the resulting volcanic morphologies. A unique set of lava flow lobes to the southwest of Arsia Mons (and possibly genetically associated with that volcano) were initially identified using high-resolution ( ~50 m/pixel) Viking Orbiter (VO) images. These flows are characterized by a ridged surface texture, similar to that observed on folded evolved lava flows (e.g., andesites, dacites and rhyolites) on Earth, and relatively thick ( ~40 to 80 m) flow margins. Additional data collected by the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) and the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) reveal that these ridged flows are much more widespread than indicated by the VO images. MGS and VO datasets allow us to identify the location of these ridged flows, measure flow thickness and the wavelengths and amplitudes of the surface undulations. A large lava flow field ( ~67.5 km2) surrounding Sabancaya volcano, Peru, displays similar surface textures and flow thicknesses, and we have been investigating these andesitic to trachyandesitic lavas as potential analogs to the Martian flows. Using high-resolution GPS surveys-collected both along-flow and across-flow, we can quantify the surface topography of these flows with +/-1 cm horizontal and +/-2 cm vertical resolution. This resolution is approximately one order of magnitude better than will be obtained using global MOLA coverage of Mars. Quantitative comparison of the Sabancaya lava flows with those adjacent to Arsia Mons, combined with results from analytical and numerical modeling, suggest that the Sabancaya lavas are fundamentally different from the Martian flows. We therefore suggest that the Martian flows are either not evolved lavas, and/or have unique emplacement and eruption characteristics.
Bulmer Mark H.
Gregg T. K.
Warner Nicholas H.
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