Revealing Elysium Planitia's Young Geologic History: Constraints on Lava Emplacement, Areas, and Volumes

Abstract

Elysium Planitia includes several outflow channels that were likely carved by aqueous erosion and subsequently infilled by younger lava flows, making Elysium Planitia the youngest volcanic terrain on Mars. Studying this region is critical for constraining the recent hydrological and thermal evolution of the planet. Here, we investigate the lava flow areas, thicknesses, and volumes in Elysium Planitia using Context (CTX) camera images in combination with SHAllow RADar (SHARAD) sounder data. Compiling 1,777 reflectors over an area of 9,126,790 km2 allows us to reconstruct the subsurface landscape evolution over time. Our findings show that Elysium Planitia is composed of material from about 40 episodes of effusive volcanic activity. We report volumes for individual eruptions of 4,000 ± 1,600 km3 infilling Athabasca Valles, 12,200 ± 2,500 km3 in Marte Vallis, and 16,000 ± 4,000 km3 in Rahway Valles for the major flow units and volumes as small as 100 ± 50 km3 in Cerberus Plains. The surface morphologies and inferred dielectric properties of lobe interfaces suggests that the regions consists of basaltic lava. The region also experienced multiple aqueous flooding events. Although, we found evidence of past lava–water interactions, present‐day ground‐ice (if present) is likely limited to local patches. Further, the pre‐eruption landscape reveals that the aqueously carved Marte Vallis is more areal extensive, but shallower than previously suggested, with a likely paleo‐flow direction from northwest to southeast. The channel is most likely sourced from a segment in the northwestern portion of Cerberus Fossae, and is now buried by multiple Late Amazonian lavas with the same lava flow direction.

Comparing Rover and Helicopter Planetary Mission Architectures in a Mars Analog Setting in Iceland

“…(2) The region is predominantly composed of volcanic terrains that have been modified by eolian and glacial processes as well as glacial meltwater and catastrophic floods, thereby generating a Mars-like environment that includes a succession of lava flows emplaced within an active sand sheet. (3) Transitional lava flow types within the 2014-2015 Holuhraun lava flow exhibit similar morphologies to those observed on Mars (e.g., Elysium Planitia; Voigt et al 2023) and may therefore inform aspects of their emplacement processes (Voigt et al 2021a). (4) The emplacement of lava over a water-bearing glacial outwash plain resulted in development of habitable ephemeral hydrothermal systems that serve as an analog for assessing the astrobiological importance of lava-water interactions on Mars (Duhamel et al 2022).…”