[1] We mapped lava flows on the Tharsis Montes (Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Ascraeus Mons) using High Resolution Stereo Camera images that centrally transect each shield from north to south, covering $20% of each shield's surface. These data were co-registered to Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, Thermal Emission Imaging System, and Mars Orbiter Camera data, enabling lava flow structures and vents to be consistently differentiated across each volcano. Lava flow and vent abundances and relationships are used to provide new insight into the late Amazonian eruptive history of the Tharsis Montes. The volcanoes are divided into their main flanks, rift aprons, and small-vent fields. Where present on the main flanks, channel-fed flows always embay tube-fed flows, indicating a change from long-lived, stable tube-forming eruption conditions to shorter-lived, less stable channel-forming eruption conditions. Superposition relationships suggest that main flank and rift apron development were likely separated by an eruptive hiatus. The rift aprons, as compared to the main flanks, show higher abundances of tube-and channel-fed flows, and embayment of tube-fed flows by channel-fed flows is less consistent. Several trends from the Arsia Mons, to Ascraeus Mons, southwest rift aprons and small-vent fields were identified, including increased tube abundance, median slope, and number of satellitic eruptive vents and a decrease in channel-to tube-fed flow ratios, apron volumes, and maximum apron elevations. These trends suggest that the most recent volcanic activity at the Tharsis Montes might have originated from a single, shared magma source, possibly marking a change in magma production style from main flank construction.
Several irregularly shaped craters located within Arabia Terra, Mars, represent a new type of highland volcanic construct and together constitute a previously unrecognized Martian igneous province. Similar to terrestrial supervolcanoes, these low-relief paterae possess a range of geomorphic features related to structural collapse, effusive volcanism and explosive eruptions. Extruded lavas contributed to the formation of enigmatic highland ridged plains in Arabia Terra. Outgassed sulphur and erupted fine-grained pyroclastics from these calderas probably fed the formation of altered, layered sedimentary rocks and fretted terrain found throughout the equatorial region. The discovery of a new type of volcanic construct in the Arabia volcanic province fundamentally changes the picture of ancient volcanism and climate evolution on Mars. Other eroded topographic basins in the ancient Martian highlands that have been dismissed as degraded impact craters should be reconsidered as possible volcanic constructs formed in an early phase of widespread, disseminated magmatism on Mars.
Ina is an enigmatic volcanic feature on the Moon known for its irregularly shaped mounds, the origin of which has been debated since the Apollo Missions. Three main units are observed on the floor of the depression (2.9 km across, ≤64 m deep) located at the summit of a low‐shield volcano: irregularly shaped mounds up to 20 m tall, a lower unit 1 to 5 m in relief that surrounds the mounds, and blocky material. Analyses of Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera images and topography show that features in Ina are morphologically similar to terrestrial inflated lava flows. Comparison of these unusual lunar mounds and possible terrestrial analogs leads us to hypothesize that features in Ina were formed through lava flow inflation processes. While the source of the lava remains unclear, this new model suggests that as the mounds inflated, breakouts along their margins served as sources for surface flows that created the lower morphologic unit. Over time, mass wasting of both morphologic units has exposed fresh surfaces observed in the blocky unit. Ina is different than the terrestrial analogs presented in this study in that the lunar features formed within a depression, no vent sources are observed, and no cracks are observed on the mounds. However, lava flow inflation processes explain many of the morphologic relationships observed in Ina and are proposed to be analogous with inflated lava flows on Earth.
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