- Volcanoes Still Active On Mars?
New Evidence For Ongoing Volcanism And Water Release.
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- In their search for water and possible life on Mars,
scientists are turning to new data generated by the Mars Orbiter Camera
(MOC) images and Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) topography from the
Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft.
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- The Elysium and Amazonis Planitia regions of Mars have
come under particularly intensive study because of their recently proposed
young ages (10-100 million years ago or less). Several different recent
studies have respectively shown that: some of the volcanic flows were
likely
emplaced over ice-rich ground; at least one flow originated from the long
rift-type vents of the Cerberus Fossae; and recent floods also originated
from the vent system, perhaps depositing water in the shallow subsurface
for later volcanic flows to interact with.
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- But the capstone of this work is the discovery by
NASA/Goddard
Earth Science and Technology Center scientist Susan Sakimoto and colleagues
that the new data reveals regionally extensive lava eruptions from the
same vent system as the water. While earlier data hints at this conclusion,
Sakimoto's evidence provides the strongest support yet that these volcanic
and hydrologic events indeed are both young and related in origins, and
could perhaps still occur on Mars in the future.
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- Sakimoto will present these findings on Thursday,
November
8, at the Geological Society of America's annual meeting in Boston.
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- "Based on the convergence of fluvial and volcanic
features in the topography, evidence for their interaction, their
interlinked
deposits, flow model results of the eruption rates, and the episodic nature
of the eruption style and their youth, it is clear to us that the potential
for continuing eruptions in the NEXT several tens of million of years ought
to be good," Sakimoto said. "These are absolutely beautiful
examples
of plains volcanism! The ramifications include a potential for ongoing
thermal and water sources for sustaining or starting an environment
compatible
with life into recent Martian geologic time (and possibly into the present)
and enhanced understanding of the plains-style eruption type in a slightly
different planetary environment."
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- Note: This story has been
adapted from a news release issued by Geological Society Of America for
journalists and other members of the public. If you wish to quote from
any part of this story, please credit Geological Society Of America as
the original source. You may also wish to include this link
in any citation.
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