Tag Archives: volcanos

HiRISE: Small volcano

Posted on March 4, 2014 by rburnham

Beautiful Mars series: Small volcano to the southwest of Tombaugh Crater. More Beautiful Mars images.

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THEMIS image: Olympus Mons summit caldera

Posted on February 19, 2014 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, February 19, 2014. This VIS image shows the central portion of the complex caldera at the summit of Olympus Mons. More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

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THEMIS image: Olympus Mons summit

Posted on February 18, 2014 by rburnham

THEMIS Image of the Day, February 18, 2014. Today’s VIS image shows the eastern portion of the complex caldera at the summit of Olympus Mons. More THEMIS Images of the Day by geological topic.

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Supervolcanos in Arabia on Mars: Update

Posted on October 4, 2013 by rburnham

The idea of giant volcanos erupting in Arabia was proposed by Joseph Michalski (Planetary Science Institute) in a talk at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in March 2013. Michalski and coauthor Jacob Bleacher (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) have … Continue reading →

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Does Arabia show a new style of Martian volcanism?

Posted on March 25, 2013 by rburnham

Arabia is one of the largest and oldest regions of Mars. Among its varied rocks are widespread deposits of soft and easily eroded ones which may have a volcanic origin. However, Arabia has no obvious volcanic vents or sources.

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Explosive eruptions in dense ancient atmospheres

Posted on January 12, 2013 by rburnham

Explosive volcanic eruptions on an earlier Mars with a thicker atmosphere would have scattered fine ash (pyroclastic debris) mainly east or west of the volcano, a new study finds. Also, a denser ancient atmosphere supports the addition of Arsia and … Continue reading →

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Mars’ explosive childhood

Posted on December 14, 2012 by rburnham

Mars is widely understood to be a volcanic planet — its surface shows abundant evidence of volcanic activity, both ancient and more recent. Spacecraft detect lava flows in many locations, and spectroscopic evidence of volcanic rocks lies almost everywhere. The … Continue reading →

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Touching Mars from Earth

Posted on August 28, 2012 by rburnham

Remote sensing of Mars usually happens when spacecraft sensors look down from orbit around the Red Planet. But sensors on Earth can also get in on the fun, especially when they actively reach out to the planet via radio waves. … Continue reading →

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“Olympic” ocean in Tharsis?

Posted on July 30, 2012 by rburnham

Two features of Olympus Mons have puzzled geologists since they were discovered decades ago. First are the “aureole” deposits, rough terrain extending as much as 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the volcano. And second is the scarp, about 8,000 meters … Continue reading →

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Ancient volcanos suggest long activity

Posted on March 6, 2012 by rburnham

Mars is a volcanic planet and has been volcanically active from the start. The most extensive volcanism occurred during the earliest part of its geologic history, the Noachian era, the time before roughly 3.7 billion years ago. However, as a … Continue reading →

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