Supervolcanoes Within an Ancient Volcanic Province in Arabia Terra, Mars

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 display 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 sulfur and erupted fine-grained pyroclastics from these calderas likely fed the formation of altered, layered sedimentary rocks and fretted terrain found throughout the equatorial region. 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

The effects of extrinsic cues and product involvement toward willingness to buy non-deceptive counterfeit branded products: The case study of Indonesian consumers

The current study investigates Indonesian consumers’ willingness to buy counterfeit products. Two predictors have been utilised in this regard are product involvement and extrinsic cues (brand, store, and price). The sample of the study is postgraduate students in the field of business and management. The research found that hypothesis 1 has been clarified as being different by product, depending upon whether the category is categorised HPI (High Product Involvement) or LPI (Low Product Involvement). Other findings, the study confirmed that single direct effects of brand and retailers’ reputation significantly influenced consumers’ responses about willingness to buy a counterfeit product, no matter the product category. However, the discounted price did not significantly influence the willingness to buy a counterfeit branded product no matter their product category. Thus, consumers’ responses to hypothesis 2 and hypothesis 3 were fully supported, but not fully supported for hypothesis 4

Groundwater activity on Mars and implications for a deep biosphere

By the time eukaryotic life or photosynthesis evolved on Earth, the martian surface had become extremely inhospitable, but the subsurface of Mars could potentially have contained a vast microbial biosphere. Crustal fluids may have welled up from the subsurface to alter and cement surface sediments, potentially preserving clues to subsurface habitability. Here we present a conceptual model of subsurface habitability of Mars and evaluate evidence for groundwater upwelling in deep basins. Many ancient, deep basins lack evidence for groundwater activity. However, McLaughlin Crater, one of the deepest craters on Mars, contains evidence for Mg-Fe-bearing clays and carbonates that probably formed in an alkaline, groundwater-fed lacustrine setting. This environment strongly contrasts with the acidic, water-limited environments implied by the presence of sulphate deposits that have previously been suggested to form owing to groundwater upwelling. Deposits formed as a result of groundwater upwelling on Mars, such as those in McLaughlin Crater, could preserve critical evidence of a deep biosphere on Mars. We suggest that groundwater upwelling on Mars may have occurred sporadically on local scales, rather than at regional or global scales. © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex