Work

Mildly explosive eruptions at Martian low-shield volcanoes

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Ongoing acquisition of Martian surface imagery constantly provides new opportunities to reveal previously undiscovered small-scale volcanic landforms, yielding critical insights into volcanic processes, and challenging existing inferences. Here, using the most recent, high-resolution topographical data, we mapped the accumulation of pyroclastic deposits occurring along the margins of several volcanic vents. They share morphological similarities with terrestrial volcanic deposits attributed to low-intensity lava fountaining occurring during mild explosive activity. Our identified, explosive volcanic deposits are associated with late Amazonian volcanic activity in Tharsis. The identification of these very recent (<100 Ma) deposits across the entire Tharsis volcanic province needs reconciling with our current view of the evolution of explosive volcanism on Mars. We contend that these small volume landforms, produced by mildly explosive volcanic activity, need to be considered in models surrounding planet-scale magmatic evolution and atmospheric volatile budgets.

Source: Communications Earth & Environment

DOI: 10.1038/s43247-024-01697-w

Authors: Bartosz Pieterek, Thomas J. Jones

Institutions: Polish Geological Institute, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Lancaster University

Language: English

Topic: Planetary Science and Exploration

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,290

Funder: Ministerstwo Edukacji i Nauki