Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2001
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001agufm.p31b..11g&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2001, abstract #P31B-11
Physics
5480 Volcanism (8450), 6225 Mars, 8404 Ash Deposits
Scientific paper
Tyrrhena Patera ( ~22° S, 252° W), Mars, is located on the western edge of Hesperia Planum and ~2500 km NW of the Hellas basin. The volcano's flanks are dissected by broad (>6 km) flat-floored radial valleys; valley morphology is consistent with modification by groundwater sapping processes. Based on morphology and surface texture as observed in Mars Observer Camera (MOC) and Viking Orbiter (VO) images, the shield materials appear to be comprised of fine-grained, friable material that have been interpreted to be pyroclastic deposits. A large (~1000 km x 200 km) lava flow field extends from the summit caldera complex to the southwest. The flow field is younger than adjacent Hesperia Planum, and crosscuts Tyrrhena Patera shield materials, indicating that Tyrrhena Patera experienced a transition from early explosive to later effusive volcanism. Using datasets obtained by Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), we have learned that the western Hesperia Planum region is more complex and contains more volcanic deposits than previously thought. Tyrrhena Patera deposits, identified using MOC and the Mars Observer Laser Altimeter (MOLA) data, extend more than 500 km to the west of the summit caldera complex and more than 550 km to the northwest. This observation increases the area covered by Tyrrhena Patera shield materials by a factor of four and suggests that the deposits are pyroclastic flows rather than falls, and that these flows were highly mobile. Such an inference is consistent with a "wet" Mars at the time of these eruptions. MOC and MOLA data further reveal cycles of deposition and erosion, which suggests that explosive activity at Tyrrhena Patera may have continued into the Hesperian Epoch. Finally, MOLA investigations of the lava flow field associated with Tyrrhena Patera have revealed that the individual flow lobes have fundamentally different morphologies from those found at shield volcanoes in the northern hemisphere.
Crown David A.
Gittings H.
Gregg T. K.
Meyer Robert B.
Sakimoto Susan E.
No associations
LandOfFree
The Western Hesperia Planum Region of Mars: MGS-based Revelations does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with The Western Hesperia Planum Region of Mars: MGS-based Revelations, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Western Hesperia Planum Region of Mars: MGS-based Revelations will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1239114