Evidence of volcanic and glacial activity in Chryse and Acidalia Planitiae, Mars

Martínez-Alonso, S.; Mellon, M. T.; Banks, M. E.; Keszthelyi, L.; McEwen, A. S.

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2011.01.004

Cited by 37 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 123 publications

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“…Possible causes of explosive volcanism on Mars include interactions with ice and/or water, high silica or volatile content, or eruption under modern atmospheric conditions (Wilson and Head, 2007). While we cannot currently rule out any of these possibilities, the apparent low vesicularity of the glass may be consistent with ice-magma interactions (Heiken and Wohletz, 1991), and these deposits could be related to putative Late Hesperian or Early Amazonian subglacial volcanism in Southern Acidalia (Martínez-Alonso et al, 2011). However, the glass deposits could also be sourced from other putative volcanic features elsewhere in the northern lowlands (Keszthelyi et al, 2010;Farrand et al, 2011) or from one of the large volcanic edifi ces (Kerber et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Widespread weathered glass on the surface of Mars

Horgan

Bell

2012

Geology

107

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Low albedo sediments cover >10 7 km 2 in the northern lowlands of Mars, but the composition and origin of these widespread deposits have remained ambiguous despite many previous investigations. Here we use near-infrared spectra acquired by the Mars Express OMEGA (Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces, et l'Activité) imaging spectrometer to show that these sediments exhibit spectral characteristics that are consistent with both high abundances of iron-bearing glass and silica-enriched leached rinds on glass. This interpretation is supported by observations of low-albedo soil grains with possible rinds at the Phoenix Mars Lander landing site in the northern lowlands. By comparison with the extensive glass-rich dune fi elds and sand sheets of Iceland, we propose an explosive volcanic origin for these glass-rich sediments. We also propose that the glassy remnant rinds on the sediments are the result of postdepositional alteration, as these rinds are commonly formed in arid terrestrial volcanic environments during water-limited, moderately acidic leaching. These weathered, glass-rich deposits in the northern lowlands are also colocated with the strongest concentrations of a major global compositional surface type previously identifi ed in mid-infrared spectra, suggesting that they may be representative of global processes. Our results provide potential confi rmation of models suggesting that explosive volcanism has been widespread on Mars, and also raise the possibilities that glass-rich volcaniclastics are a major source of eolian sand on Mars and that widespread surfi cial aqueous alteration has occurred under Amazonian climatic conditions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Widespread weathered glass on the surface of Mars

Horgan

Bell

2012

Geology

107

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“…Conditions for the formation of fragmental volcanic glass by glaciovolcanism have been favourable throughout Mars' geologic history as crater surface dating studies show coinciding peaks of glacial and volcanic activity (Neukum et al, 2010). The abundance of glaciovolcanism on Mars is also supported by a wide variety of surface features, such as tuyas; emergent sub-ice volcanoes which have melted upwards through ice sheets and even mountain glaciers (Allen, 1979;Fagan et al, 2010;Ghatan and Head, 2002;Head and Wilson, 2007;Hovius et al, 2008;Martínez-Alonso et al, 2011;Scanlon et al, 2014) and features which resemble subglacially formed volcanic ridges known as tindars (Chapman et al, 2003;Komatsu et al, 2004;Pedersen et al, 2010;Wilson and Head, 2002;Zealey, 2009). Materials that presently constitute or are associated to comparable landforms in Iceland (Bemmelen and Rutten, 1955;Jarosch et al, 2008;McGarvie, 2009;Schopka et al, 2006;Smellie, 2008;Thodarson and Larsen, 2007;Wilson and Head, 2002) may therefore provide suitable analogue materials for the glass-rich sand seas in the northern lowlands on Mars (Allen et al, 1981;Bishop and Pieters, 1995;Chapman and Tanaka, 2002).…”

Section: Mars-analogue Materials For Wind Tunnel Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of rolling on wind-induced detachment thresholds of volcanic glass on Mars

Vet

Merrison

Mittelmeijer‐Hazeleger

et al. 2014

Planetary and Space Science

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“…Fagents & Thordarson 2007) and glaciers (e.g. Martinez-Alonso et al 2011). The nature and duration of an eruption, as well as the nature of the local environment sustained in between eruptions, is dependent upon the magma composition, eruption frequency and volume, thickness/volume of ice overlying the volcanic centre, thermal characteristics of the ice, and bedrock topography.…”

Section: Volcano -Ice Interactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glaciovolcanic hydrothermal environments in Iceland and implications for their detection on Mars

Cousins

Crawford

Carrivick

et al. 2013

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research

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Hydrothermal environments driven by volcanism are prime astrobiological targets on Mars, due to their ability to support and preserve microbial ecosystems. Volcano -ice interactions on On Earth, volcano -ice interactions produce many hydrothermal habitats available to microbial colonisation, and thus provide an analogue to past environments on Mars, where many landforms have been attributed to volcano -cryospheric interaction. However, Mars exploration urgently requires a framework for identifying such environments on a range of scales and with a range of geological criteria. In this paper rRemote sensing data were combined with sub-mm environmental mapping and sample analysis that included (X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, thin section petrography, scanning electron microscopy, electron dispersive spectrometer analysis, and dissolved ion water chemistry,) to characterise samples from two areas of basaltic volcano -ice interaction: namely Askja and Kverkfjöll volcanoes in Iceland. Askja was erupted subglacially during the Pleistocene, and is now exposed within a volcanic desert. Kverkfjöll is a subglacial volcano beneath on the northern margin of Vatnajökull ice cap, and hosts active hydrothermal systems. NE-trending fissure swarm ridges extend between these two volcanic systems. Multiple Holocene glacial outburst (jökulhlaup) sedimentary deposits lie to the north of Kverkfjöll. Hydrothermal environments at Kverkfjöll were found to be predominantly acidic, with dissolved sulphate dominating the water chemistry. These hydrothermal environments vary across a small (<100 m) spatial scale, and include hot springs, anoxic pools, meltwater lakes, and sulphur-and iron-depositing fumaroles. Biomats, two in association with individual goethite and pyrite mineral terraces, were common at Kverkfjöll. In-situ and laboratory VNIR (440 -1000 nm) reflectance spectra representative of Mars rover multispectral imaging show spectral profiles to be influenced by Fe 2+/3+ -bearing minerals. Overall, sediments and lavas display two types of hydrothermal alteration: a low-temperature (<120°C) assemblage dominated by palagonite, sulfates, and iron oxides; and a high-temperature (>120°C) assemblage signified by heulandite and quartz. This Overall, this work provides a framework for identifying such environments during future exploration of Mars, given their high astrobiological potential, and Claire Cousins -BBK 14/08/12 3 provides a descriptive reference for the two prominent active hydrothermal environments at Kverkfjöllwhich can be used as analogues for those on Mars.

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Evidence of volcanic and glacial activity in Chryse and Acidalia Planitiae, Mars

Cited by 37 publications

References 123 publications

Widespread weathered glass on the surface of Mars

Widespread weathered glass on the surface of Mars

Effects of rolling on wind-induced detachment thresholds of volcanic glass on Mars

Glaciovolcanic hydrothermal environments in Iceland and implications for their detection on Mars

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