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4 - Volcanic features of New Mexico analogous to volcanic features on Mars

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2009

By
Larry S. Crumpler ,
Jayne C. Aubele  and
James R. Zimbelman
Edited by
Mary Chapman
Larry S. Crumpler
Affiliation:
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque
Jayne C. Aubele
Affiliation:
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque
James R. Zimbelman
Affiliation:
Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington
Mary Chapman
Affiliation:
United States Geological Survey, Arizona
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Summary

Introduction

The arid climate, extensional rift setting, range in type and age of volcanic eruptions, and generally widespread and geologically youthful volcanism in New Mexico contribute to an environment rich in geologic processes and landforms analogous to many of those on Mars. Young (<5 Ma) volcanoes and associated volcanic rocks are more widely distributed throughout the state than in many other volcanic localities on the North American continent. All of the principal volcanic landforms occur including long lava flows, viscous domes, calderas, composite volcanoes, monogenetic scoria cones, small shield volcanoes, and numerous hydromagmatic vents. The morphologies, volcanic emplacement processes, and dissected structures, and the arid environment, result in many volcanic landforms analogous to those on Mars. These features provide some clues to the details of geologic processes responsible for their Martian counterparts that are uncommon in areas where volcanism is less abundant and where the environments are less arid.

The largest young caldera (Valles Caldera), largest young lava flows (McCartys and Carrizozo), abundance of Quaternary volcanic fields, volatile-rich magmatism, including non-juvenile (maars) and juvenile types (Shiprock-Narbona Pass), spring deposits, and one of the great modern rift valleys on Earth (Rio Grande rift) occur in an arid setting where annual precipitation is between 8 and 15 inches (20–40 cm) per year. Combined with arid dissection and eolian in-fill, these contribute to a landscape that mimics the appearance of many volcanic terrains on Mars.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Geology of Mars
Evidence from Earth-Based Analogs
 , pp. 95 - 125
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

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