Regional Similarity of Leveed Lava Flows on the Mars Plains

The dynamics of lava flow movement are controlled by the fluid interior. Crust, solids, and nondeformable material can only retard the advance or spreading of a lava flow. Figure 1 shows a typical large, channelized lava flow found on the Mars plains. It has been suggested in [I] that such large leveed flows on the Mars plains were emplaced by a balance between the formation and shedding of crust as the flow advances. For the prototypical flow north of Pavonis Mons (Fig. I), such a balance leads to a flow morphology that approximately self-replicates at all locations along the flow path [2,3]. Moreover, most quantitative characteristics of emplacement (e.g., viscosity, volumetric flow rate) of the prototype flow at Pavonis Mons resembled those of large channelized lava flows on Earth. The exception was the relatively long, sustained supply of lava, on the order of a year as opposed to hours or days for terrestrial analogs

A New Approach to Inferences for Pancake Domes on Venus

Figure 1 shows a radar image and topography for flat-topped, steep-sided "pancake" domes on Venus. At least 145 such domes have been identified on Venus [I] and are thought to be volcanic in origin [2]. Based on analysis of the dome surfaces, [3] suggested that only the late stage surface fractures are preserved, indicating entrainment and annealing of fractures during emplacement, consistent with a basaltic composition. Figure 1 shows a radar image and topography for flat-topped, steep-sided "pancake" domes on Venus. At least 145 such domes have been identified on Venus [I] and are thought to be volcanic in origin [2]. Based on analysis of the dome surfaces, [3] suggested that only the late stage surface fractures are preserved, indicating entrainment and annealing of fractures during emplacement, consistent with a basaltic composition

Emplacement Scenarios for Volcanic Domes on Venus

One key to understanding the history of resurfacing on Venus is better constraints on the emplacement timescales for the range of volcanic features visible on the surface. A figure shows a Magellan radar image and topography for a putative lava dome on Venus. 175 such domes have been identified with diameters ranging from 19 - 94 km, and estimated thicknesses as great as 4 km. These domes are thought to be volcanic in origin and to have formed by the flow of viscous fluid (i.e., lava) on the surface

Explosive Volcanic Eruptions from Linear Vents on Earth, Venus and Mars: Comparisons with Circular Vent Eruptions

Conditions required to support buoyant convective plumes are investigated for explosive volcanic eruptions from circular and linear vents on Earth, Venus, and Mars. Vent geometry (linear versus circular) plays a significant role in the ability of an explosive eruption to sustain a buoyant plume. On Earth, linear and circular vent eruptions are both capable of driving buoyant plumes to equivalent maximum rise heights, however, linear vent plumes are more sensitive to vent size. For analogous mass eruption rates, linear vent plumes surpass circular vent plumes in entrainment efficiency approximately when L(sub o) > 3r(sub o) owing to the larger entrainment area relative to the control volume. Relative to circular vents, linear vents on Venus favor column collapse and the formation of pyroclastic flows because the range of conditions required to establish and sustain buoyancy is narrow. When buoyancy can be sustained, however, maximum plume heights exceed those from circular vents. For current atmospheric conditions on Mars, linear vent eruptions are capable of injecting volcanic material slightly higher than analogous circular vent eruptions. However, both geometries are more likely to produce pyroclastic fountains, as opposed to convective plumes, owing to the low density atmosphere. Due to the atmospheric density profile and water content on Earth, explosive eruptions enjoy favorable conditions for producing sustained buoyant columns, while pyroclastic flows would be relatively more prevalent on Venus and Mars. These results have implications for the injection and dispersal of particulates into the planetary atmosphere and the ability to interpret the geologic record of planetary volcanism

Rheology of Lava Flows on Europa and the Emergence of Cryovolcanic Domes

There is ample evidence that Europa is currently geologically active. Crater counts suggest that the surface is no more than 90 Myr old, and cryovolcanism may have played a role in resurfacing the satellite in recent geological times. Europa's surface exhibits many putative cryovolcanic features, and previous investigations have suggested that a number of domes imaged by the Galileo spacecraft may be volcanic in origin. Consequently, several Europa domes have been modeled as viscous effusions of cryolava. However, previous models for the formation of silicic domes on the terrestrial planets contain fundamental shortcomings. Many of these shortcomings have been alleviated in our new modeling approach, which warrants a re-assessment of the possibility of cryovolcanic domes on Europa

Emplacement of Volcanic Domes on Venus and Europa

Placing firmer constraints on the emplacement timescales of visible volcanic features is essential to obtaining a better understanding of the resurfacing history of Venus. Fig. 1 shows a Magellan radar image and topography for a putative venusian lava dome. 175 such domes have been identified, having diameters that range from 19 - 94 km, and estimated thicknesses as great as 4 km [1-2]. These domes are thought to be volcanic in origin [3], having formed by the flow of a viscous fluid (i.e., lava) onto the surface. Among the unanswered questions surrounding the formation of Venus steep-sided domes are their emplacement duration, composition, and the rheology of the lava. Rheologically speaking, maintenance of extremely thick, 1-4 km flows necessitates higher viscosity lavas, while the domes' smooth upper surfaces imply the presence of lower viscosity lavas [2-3]. Further, numerous quantitative issues, such as the nature and duration of lava supply, how long the conduit remained open and capable of supplying lava, the volumetric flow rate, and the role of rigid crust in influencing flow and final morphology all have implications for subsurface magma ascent and local surface stress conditions. The surface of Jupiter's icy moon Europa exhibits many putative cryovolcanic constructs [5-7], and previous workers have suggested that domical positive relief features imaged by the Galileo spacecraft may be volcanic in origin [5,7-8] (Fig. 2). Though often smaller than Venus domes, if emplaced as a viscous fluid, formation mechanisms for europan domes may be similar to those of venusian domes [7]. Models for the emplacement of venusian lava domes (e.g. [9-10]) have been previously applied to the formation of putative cryolava domes on Europa [7]

Volatile Transport by Volcanic Plumes on Earth, Venus and Mars

Explosive volcanic eruptions can produce sustained, buoyant columns of ash and gas in the atmosphere (Fig. 1). Large flood basalt eruptions may also include significant explosive phases that generate eruption columns. Such eruptions can transport volcanic volatiles to great heights in the atmosphere. Volcanic eruption columns can also redistribute chemical species within the atmosphere by entraining ambient atmosphere at low altitudes and releasing those species at much higher altitudes

Importance of Geodetically Controlled Topography to Constrain Rates of Volcanism and Internal Magma Plumbing Systems

Investigation of lava flow deposits is a key component of Investigation II.A.1 in the VEXAG Goals, Objectives and Investigations. Because much of the Venus surface is covered in lava flows, characterization of lava flow emplacement conditions(eruption rate and eruption duration) is critical for understanding the mechanisms through which magma is stored and released onto the surface as well as for placing constraints on rates of volcanic resurfacing throughout the geologic record preserved at the surface

Simulation of Cooling and Pressure Effects on Inflated Pahoehoe Lava Flows

Pahoehoe lobes are often emplaced by the advance of discrete toes accompanied by inflation of the lobe surface. Many random effects complicate modeling lobe emplacement, such as the location and orientation of toe breakouts, their dimensions, mechanical strength of the crust, micro-topography and a host of other factors. Models that treat the movement of lava parcels as a random walk have explained some of the overall features of emplacement. However, cooling of the surface and internal pressurization of the fluid interior has not been modeled. This work reports lobe simulations that explicitly incorporate 1) cooling of surface lava parcels, 2) the propensity of breakouts to occur at warmer margins that are mechanically weaker than cooler ones, and 3) the influence of internal pressurization associated with inflation. The surface temperature is interpreted as a surrogate for the mechanic strength of the crust at each location and is used to determine the probability of a lava parcel transfer from that location. When only surface temperature is considered, the morphology and dimensions of simulated lobes are indistinguishable from equiprobable simulations. However, inflation within a lobe transmits pressure to all connected fluid locations with the warmer margins being most susceptible to breakouts and expansion. Simulations accounting for internal pressurization feature morphologies and dimensions that are dramatically different from the equiprobable and temperature-dependent models. Even on flat subsurfaces the pressure-dependent model produces elongate lobes with distinct directionality. Observables such as topographic profiles, aspect ratios, and maximum extents should be readily distinguishable in the field

The Influence of Slope Breaks on Lava Flow Surface Disruption

Changes in the underlying slope of a lava flow impart a significant fraction of rotational energy beyond the slope break. The eddies, circulation and vortices caused by this rotational energy can disrupt the flow surface, having a significant impact on heat loss and thus the distance the flow can travel. A basic mechanics model is used to compute the rotational energy caused by a slope change. The gain in rotational energy is deposited into an eddy of radius R whose energy is dissipated as it travels downstream. A model of eddy friction with the ambient lava is used to compute the time-rate of energy dissipation. The key parameter of the dissipation rate is shown to be rho R(sup 2/)mu, where is the lava density and mu is the viscosity, which can vary by orders of magnitude for different flows. The potential spatial disruption of the lava flow surface is investigated by introducing steady-state models for the main flow beyond the steepening slope break. One model applies to slow-moving flows with both gravity and pressure as the driving forces. The other model applies to fast-moving, low-viscosity, turbulent flows. These models provide the flow velocity that establishes the downstream transport distance of disrupting eddies before they dissipate. The potential influence of slope breaks is discussed in connection with field studies of lava flows from the 1801 Hualalai and 1823 Keaiwa Kilauea, Hawaii, and 2004 Etna eruptions