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Lava flow eruption conditions in the Tharsis Volcanic Province on Mars
  • Sean Peters,
  • Philip Russel Christensen,
  • Amanda B Clarke
Sean Peters
Arizona State University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Philip Russel Christensen
Arizona State University
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Amanda B Clarke
Arizona State University
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Abstract

Volcanism has played a major role in modifying the Martian surface. The Tharsis Volcanic Province dominates the western hemisphere of the planet with numerous effusive volcanic constructs and deposits. Here, we present the results of an in-depth study aimed at characterizing and modelling the emplacement conditions of 40 lava flows in the Tharsis Volcanic Province. These lava flows display a range of lengths (~15 – 314 km), widths (~0.5 – 29 m), and thicknesses (~11 – 91 km). The volumes and flow masses range from ~1 – 430 km3 and ~1011 – 1014 kg, respectively. Using three different models, we calculated a range of eruption rates (0.2 – 3.5 x 104 m3/s), viscosities (104 – 107 Pa s), yield strengths (800 – 104 Pa), and emplacement times (14 hours – 22 years). While the flow lengths and volumes are typically larger than terrestrial lava flows by an order of magnitude, rheologies and eruption rates are similar based on our findings. Emplacement times suggest that eruptions were active for long periods of time, which implies the presence and persistence of open subsurface pathways. Differences in flow morphology and emplacement conditions across localities within Tharsis highlight different pathways and volumes of available material between the central volcanoes and the plains. The scale of the eruptions suggests there could have been eruption-driven local, regional, and perhaps, global impacts on the Martian climate. The relatively recent age of the eruptions implies that Mars has retained the capability of producing significant localized volcanism.
Jul 2021Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets volume 126 issue 7. 10.1029/2020JE006791