Pyroclastic Eruptions in a Mars Climate Model: The Effects of Grain Size, Plume Height, Density, Geographical Location, and Season on Ash Distribution

Mathematics – Logic

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[5480] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Volcanism, [6225] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Mars, [8409] Volcanology / Atmospheric Effects, [8428] Volcanology / Explosive Volcanism

Scientific paper

Pyroclastic volcanism has played a major role in the geologic history of the planet Mars. In addition to several highland patera features interpreted to be composed of pyroclastic material, there are a number of vast, fine-grained, friable deposits which may have a volcanic origin. The physical processes involved in the explosive eruption of magma, including the nucleation of bubbles, the fragmentation of magma, the incorporation of atmospheric gases, the formation of a buoyant plume, and the fall-out of individual pyroclasts has been modeled extensively for martian conditions [Wilson, L., J.W. Head (2007), Explosive volcanic eruptions on Mars: Tephra and accretionary lapilli formation, dispersal and recognition in the geologic record, J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 163, 83-97]. We have further developed and expanded this original model in order to take into account differing temperature, pressure, and wind regimes found at different altitudes, at different geographic locations, and during different martian seasons. Using a well-established Mars global circulation model [LMD-GCM, Forget, F., F. Hourdin, R. Fournier, C. Hourdin, O. Talagrand (1999), Improved general circulation models of the martian atmosphere from the surface to above 80 km, J. Geophys. Res. 104, 24,155-24,176] we are able to link the volcanic eruption model of Wilson and Head (2007) to the spatially and temporally dynamic GCM temperature, pressure, and wind profiles to create three-dimensional maps of expected ash deposition on the surface. Here we present results exploring the effects of grain-size distribution, plume height, density of ash, latitude, season, and atmospheric pressure on the areal extent and shape of the resulting ash distribution. Our results show that grain-size distribution and plume height most strongly effect the distance traveled by the pyroclasts from the vent, while latitude and season can have a large effect on the direction in which the pyroclasts travel and the final shape of the deposit on the ground. We explore the connection between some of the fine-grained, friable deposits on Mars and the explosive volcanic sources that could have contributed to them.

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