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High-resolution investigation of small volcanic features can deepen our understanding of eruption dynamics on Mars

Bartosz Pieterek 1, Thomas J. Jones2

  • Affiliations: 1 Polish Geological Institute -- National Research Institute, Warsaw, Poland 2 Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK 

  • Presentation type: Poster

  • Presentation time: Tuesday 16:30 - 18:30, Room Poster Hall

  • Poster Board Number: 249

  • Programme No: 1.4.10

  • Theme 1 > Session 4

Abstract

To provide new and previously inaccessible insights into the volcanic evolution on Mars, we must utilize recently acquired high-resolution orbital images. These, using stereo-pairs, enable the production of digital elevation models (DEMs) which are powerful datasets for precise morphological analyses of landforms, revealing volcanic features that were previously unknown or only inferred. Specifically, the vast and young volcanic regions of the Tharsis province offer the best natural laboratory for characterizing late Amazonian (<300 Ma) volcanism. Although Tharsis predominantly consists of effusive landforms, such as low shield volcanoes and their associated lava flows, recent imagery and DEMs have allowed us to identify multiple young features formed by simultaneous explosive and effusive eruptions. These features are primarily composed of steep-sided, vent-proximal accumulations of ejected pyroclastic material, which could have been modified by syn- or post-eruption processes, resulting in morphologically diverse landforms that were previously overlooked. Since these deposits are attributed to the summit vents, they must have formed simultaneously with, or after, the downslope spreading lava flows that constitute the edifice slopes, which have been dated to less than 100 million years old. Therefore, our investigations extend the value of orbital Martian data and enhance our understanding of the dynamic vent-proximal eruption environments that have occurred on Mars in the recent geological past. We provide direct evidence of the role of explosivity in the evolution of young low-shield volcanoes in the largest volcanic province, Tharsis, and show how the widespread identification of explosive eruption deposits can inform on planet-scale volcanic evolution.