Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agufm.p43a1382m&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2008, abstract #P43A-1382
Physics
5475 Tectonics (8149), 5480 Volcanism (6063, 8148, 8450), 8148 Planetary Volcanism (5480, 8450), 8450 Planetary Volcanism (5480, 6063, 8148), 8485 Remote Sensing Of Volcanoes
Scientific paper
Ascraeus Mons is the third largest volcano on Mars, with a volume of 1.1 × 1015 m3 and a vertical relief of 14,900 m. Ascraeus has a convex-upward morphology, a summit plateau, and a nested caldera complex. The volcano is host to a range of structures including pit crater chains, sinuous rilles, concentric gräben, and flank terraces. Pit craters develop when subsurface cavities collapse, whilst sinuous rilles may be channels produced or enlarged by water flow. Elsewhere (P. K. Byrne et al., this volume) we describe flank terraces on Mars, and show that they form in response to flexure of the lithosphere due to volcanic loading. Flexural strain is accommodated within the volcano by a set of tectonic structures that manifest surficially as terraces, which could in turn affect where pit craters and rilles form. Thus, a spatial correlation may exist between flank terraces and the additional surface features of Ascraeus Mons. We investigated this potential correlation by examining the location and distribution of pit craters and rilles on Ascraeus. We constructed a GIS using imagery from the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) and Context Camera (CTX) datasets. Visible structures were then mapped and classified, and compared to a terrace map derived from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) dataset. Pit craters occur either as discrete near-circular features, or as larger "crater chain" structures. They are generally absent from the volcano's summit, but increase in number towards the base. Many crater chains are spatially coincident with terrace bounding faults on the E flank, where terraces are best preserved. Sinuous rilles are long, rimless channels that issue from many pit craters; concentric rilles can abruptly change orientation and run downslope. Both circumferential crater chains and rilles coalesce into radial gräben on the NE and SW flanks of Ascraeus, forming large, V-shaped vermiform embayments. The distribution and location of pit craters and rilles on Ascraeus Mons thus appear to be influenced by a combination of edifice, flexural, and topographic stresses.
Byrne Paul K.
Murray John B.
Troll Valentin R.
van Wyk de Vries Benjamin
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