When the glacier left the volcano: Behaviour and fate of glaciovolcanic glass in different planetary environments

Abstract

Volcano-ice interactions and associated landforms have been studied in Iceland since 1900 and this research gained a new dimension after similar landforms were observed in 1979 on planet Mars. Our current understanding of a volcano’s response to the overlying ice mass shows that these eruptions are governed by complex processes that affect the properties of glassy eruption products. Recent observations on Mars show that these types of materials are highly abundant. The aim of this dissertation is to fill gaps in our knowledge of physical erosion properties and transport thresholds of these ‘glaciovolcanic glasses’. By combining field and laboratory studies of Icelandic volcanic glass, wind tunnel experiments under low atmospheric pressures and using observations from the Mars Exploration Rovers it becomes possible to determine the fate of these materials in the present-day Martian surface environment