A swarm of small shield volcanoes on Syria Planum, Mars

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research
• Main Authors: Rita Baptista, Ana, Mangold, Nicolas, Ansan, Véronique, Baratoux, David, Lognonné, Philippe, I. Alves, Eduardo, A. Williams, David, E. Bleacher, Jacob, Masson, Philippe, Neukum, Gerhard
• Other Authors: Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPG Paris)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Interactions et dynamique des environnements de surface (IDES), Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Dynamique terrestre et planétaire (DTP), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Universidade de Coimbra Coimbra, Arizona State University Tempe (ASU), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Institut für Geologische Wissenschaften, Freie Universität Berlin, This work is supported by a FCT (Foundation for the Science and Technology, on the QCA III European Community Support Program for 2000– 2010 in Portugal) grant to A.R.B. and grants from the Programme National de Plane´tologie (PNP) of Institut National des Sciences de l’Univers (INSU) and Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) for French authors
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2008
• Subjects: Syria Planum; Mars; volcanology; [SDU.STU.VO]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Volcanology; [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP]; Iceland
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-00365570; https://hal.science/hal-00365570/document; https://hal.science/hal-00365570/file/Baptista_et_al-2008-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research__Planets_%281991-2012%29.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JE002945

International audience This study focuses on the volcanism in Syria Planum, located at the center of the Tharsis bulge at an altitude of 6 to 8 km above Mars datum. Syria Planum was previously recognized as a center for the tectonic activity of Tharsis, but not as a major locus for volcanic activity, despite its centrality over the bulge. Using high-resolution images from the high resolution stereo camera on Mars Express combined with Mars Observer Laser Altimeter data, we have characterized a volcanic system that reveals a number of very interesting aspects of Mars volcanism. We identified a swarm of tens of coalesced shallow volcanic edifices, typically 10–30 km diameter, 0.1–0.2 km high, and with slopes around 0.5°. These characteristics are similar to those of small shield volcanoes found in Iceland. In addition, an intermediate-sized volcano, which is the source of lava flows that extend over >200 km, is observed west of this shield swarm. Our study characterizes a previously unrecognized volcanic assemblage on Mars which appears to be much more developed than was documented before, in terms of morphology, inferred origin, and periodicity of eruption. The estimated lava flux of the Syria Planum volcanoes is of the same order as the lava flux of Tharsis Montes. These characteristics suggest that Syria Planum experienced a very specific style of volcanism, which we dated to the Hesperian period.