The Geochemical and Mineralogical Signature of Glaciovolcanism Near Þórisjökull, Iceland, and Its Implications for Glaciovolcanism on Mars.

Autor: Bedford, Candice C.1,2,3 (AUTHOR) cbedford@purdue.edu, Rampe, Elizabeth B.2 (AUTHOR), Thorpe, Michael T.4,5 (AUTHOR), Ewing, Ryan C.6 (AUTHOR), Mason, Kashauna6 (AUTHOR), Horgan, Briony7 (AUTHOR), Rudolph, Amanda7 (AUTHOR), Lapôtre, Mathieu G. A.8 (AUTHOR), Sinha, Prakhar7 (AUTHOR), Nachon, Marion6 (AUTHOR), Champion, Emily6 (AUTHOR), Berger, Lauren6 (AUTHOR), Reid, Ewan9 (AUTHOR), Gray, Patrick C.10 (AUTHOR)
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Geophysical Research. Planets. Jul2024, Vol. 129 Issue 7, p1-34. 34p.
Abstrakt: Candidate glaciovolcanic landforms have been identified across Mars, suggesting that volcano‐ice interactions may have been relatively widespread in areas that once contained extensive surface and near‐surface ice deposits. To better constrain the detection of glaciovolcanism in Mars' geological record, this study has investigated and characterized the petrology, geochemistry, and mineralogy of three intraglacial volcanoes and an interglacial volcano in the Þórisjökull area of southwest Iceland. Our results show that glaciovolcanism creates abundant, variably altered hyaloclastite and hyalotuff that is sufficiently geochemically and mineralogically distinctive from subaerially erupted lava for identification using instruments available on Mars rovers and landers. Due to the lower gravity and atmospheric pressure at the surface of Mars, hyaloclastite and hyalotuff are also more likely to form in greater abundance in Martian glaciovolcanoes. Our results support that magmatism following deglaciation likely triggers decompression melting of the shallow mantle beneath Iceland, creating systematic changes in geochemistry and mineralogy. Glaciation can also suppress magmatism at its peak, encouraging the formation of shallow fractionated magma chambers. As such, it is possible for the crustal loading of an ice cap to enhance igneous diversity on a planet without plate tectonism, creating glass‐rich, altered, and mineralogically diverse deposits such as those discovered in Gale crater by the Curiosity rover. However, as the eroded products of glaciovolcanism are similar to those formed through hydrovolcanism, the presence of a glaciovolcanic landform at the source is required to confirm whether volcano‐ice interactions occurred at the sediment source. Plain Language Summary: The ancient Martian climate has been long debated with scientists hypothesizing that the river channels and lake beds preserved on the surface today formed in either a warm and wet environment or a cold and icy environment, with heating events driving large‐scale melting. One such heating event includes volcanism. This study investigated the chemical and mineralogical impact of volcano‐ice interactions in Iceland using techniques available to Mars rovers and landers to improve the detection of these deposits on Mars. Our results show that deposits rich in glass and the early products of low temperature alteration (palagonite, clays, zeolites) are likely to be more prevalent on Mars compared to the Earth due to differences in gravity between the two planets. Furthermore, the presence of a thick ice cap on Mars may encourage a diversity of lava compositions to form in shallow magma chambers as the weight of a thick ice cap can suppress volcanism. These types of deposits are identifiable using Mars rover and lander techniques, but due to their similarities to other volcanic units that may have erupted in the presence of water, a candidate glaciovolcanic landform is needed to confirm that these deposits are from volcano‐ice interactions. Key Points: Glaciovolcanism creates large deposits of altered fragmented volcanic glass distinct from subaerial volcanismGlaciation can suppress magmatism, driving geochemical and mineralogical diversity in an area once deglaciation startsGlaciovolcanism may have occurred on Mars with explosive phreatomagmatic units more likely under Mars' planetary conditions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Databáze: GreenFILE