Evidence of Widespread Volcanic Activity near Hebrus Valles on Mars Revealed by SHARAD
Hebrus Valles is an outflow channel system in the plain-forming terrains of southeastern Utopia Planitia, Mars. These terrains may have formed through a combination of liquid water and volcanic processes, yet their nature, subsurface structure, and composition remain unclear. We investigate these te...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/20/4967 |
| _version_ | 1797572408131977216 |
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| author | Stefano Nerozzi Michael S. Christoffersen John W. Holt Christopher W. Hamilton |
| author_facet | Stefano Nerozzi Michael S. Christoffersen John W. Holt Christopher W. Hamilton |
| author_sort | Stefano Nerozzi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hebrus Valles is an outflow channel system in the plain-forming terrains of southeastern Utopia Planitia, Mars. These terrains may have formed through a combination of liquid water and volcanic processes, yet their nature, subsurface structure, and composition remain unclear. We investigate these terrains by mapping subsurface reflectors across 540 Shallow Radar (SHARAD) profiles and applying two complementary loss tangent inversion techniques. We find moderate loss tangent values across some subregions of Granicus Valles and Hyblaeus Fossae (tan δ = 0.0162 ± 0.0004 and tan δ = 0.019 ± 0.002, respectively), suggesting the presence of basaltic lava flows. We interpret non-detections in the other flows in Granicus Valles to be due to the presence of radar-lossy materials formed through aqueous processes, which supports the hypothesized occurrence of lahars in this region. A small area near Hebrus Valles exhibits subsurface reflectors with low to moderate loss tangents (tan δ = 0.010 ± 0.003), suggesting the presence of pristine lava flows or sedimentary materials capped by lava flows. We also find a widespread occurrence of very low-loss tangent materials near Hyblaeus Dorsa (tan δ = 0.0045 ± 0.0002), which may represent a lobe of the Medusae Fossae Formation or similar high-porosity materials buried underneath a lava flow. Together, these findings suggest that volcanic activity played a central role in the formation of terrains across the broader Hebrus Valles region. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:55:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-97442c495de045598cb91b92c88b9cec |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:55:50Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-97442c495de045598cb91b92c88b9cec2023-11-19T17:58:57ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922023-10-011520496710.3390/rs15204967Evidence of Widespread Volcanic Activity near Hebrus Valles on Mars Revealed by SHARADStefano Nerozzi0Michael S. Christoffersen1John W. Holt2Christopher W. Hamilton3Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USAGeophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USALunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USALunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USAHebrus Valles is an outflow channel system in the plain-forming terrains of southeastern Utopia Planitia, Mars. These terrains may have formed through a combination of liquid water and volcanic processes, yet their nature, subsurface structure, and composition remain unclear. We investigate these terrains by mapping subsurface reflectors across 540 Shallow Radar (SHARAD) profiles and applying two complementary loss tangent inversion techniques. We find moderate loss tangent values across some subregions of Granicus Valles and Hyblaeus Fossae (tan δ = 0.0162 ± 0.0004 and tan δ = 0.019 ± 0.002, respectively), suggesting the presence of basaltic lava flows. We interpret non-detections in the other flows in Granicus Valles to be due to the presence of radar-lossy materials formed through aqueous processes, which supports the hypothesized occurrence of lahars in this region. A small area near Hebrus Valles exhibits subsurface reflectors with low to moderate loss tangents (tan δ = 0.010 ± 0.003), suggesting the presence of pristine lava flows or sedimentary materials capped by lava flows. We also find a widespread occurrence of very low-loss tangent materials near Hyblaeus Dorsa (tan δ = 0.0045 ± 0.0002), which may represent a lobe of the Medusae Fossae Formation or similar high-porosity materials buried underneath a lava flow. Together, these findings suggest that volcanic activity played a central role in the formation of terrains across the broader Hebrus Valles region.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/20/4967radarMarsloss tangentlava flowsHebrus VallesGranicus Valles |
| spellingShingle | Stefano Nerozzi Michael S. Christoffersen John W. Holt Christopher W. Hamilton Evidence of Widespread Volcanic Activity near Hebrus Valles on Mars Revealed by SHARAD Remote Sensing radar Mars loss tangent lava flows Hebrus Valles Granicus Valles |
| title | Evidence of Widespread Volcanic Activity near Hebrus Valles on Mars Revealed by SHARAD |
| title_full | Evidence of Widespread Volcanic Activity near Hebrus Valles on Mars Revealed by SHARAD |
| title_fullStr | Evidence of Widespread Volcanic Activity near Hebrus Valles on Mars Revealed by SHARAD |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evidence of Widespread Volcanic Activity near Hebrus Valles on Mars Revealed by SHARAD |
| title_short | Evidence of Widespread Volcanic Activity near Hebrus Valles on Mars Revealed by SHARAD |
| title_sort | evidence of widespread volcanic activity near hebrus valles on mars revealed by sharad |
| topic | radar Mars loss tangent lava flows Hebrus Valles Granicus Valles |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/20/4967 |
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