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Stratigraphic Evidence for Early Martian Explosive Volcanism in Arabia Terra
Author(s) -
Whelley Patrick,
Matiella Novak Alexandra,
Richardson Jacob,
Bleacher Jacob,
Mach Kelsey,
Smith Reagan N.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2021gl094109
Subject(s) - geology , caldera , noachian , explosive eruption , geochemistry , volcano , lapilli , volcanic ash , hesperian , pyroclastic rock , volcanism , allophane , earth science , martian , clay minerals , astrobiology , seismology , mars exploration program , physics , tectonics
Several large paterae in Arabia Terra are suggested to be calderas that produced colossal explosive eruptions (i.e., supereruptions). If these features are indeed explosive calderas, dispersion modeling suggests extensive ash deposits should be common throughout the region. However, such deposits have not previously been linked with the suggested calderas. Here, we describe layered deposits containing minerals both consistent with and diagnostic of altered volcanic ash throughout Arabia Terra. These deposits include Al‐dominant minerals such as montmorillonite, imogolite, and allophane among others. Altered ash deposits are found to thin (from 1‐km to 100‐m thickness) away from the suggested calderas. We estimate that the volcanic ash observed in Arabia Terra is the result of between 1,000 and 2,000 individual explosive eruptions over 500‐million years. Our observations support the hypothesis that Arabia Terra hosted supereruptions in the late Noachian‐early Hesperian that repeatedly blanketed the region with layers of ash.