Gigantic volcano-glacial edifice (tuya) Olympus Mountain as an indicator of extensive ancient glaciation in Mars
https://doi.org/10.31857/S0435428121020073
Abstract
Olympus Mons (basement dimension – 550 × 600 km, absolute height – 21.1 km, relative elevation – 21.9 km, volume – 2.4 × 109 km3) is the largest volcanic edifice on Mars as well as on Earth. Comparative analysis, aimed to find the regular combinations between volcanic and glacial forms at Olympus Mons revealed their similarity to terrestrial volcanic landform, tuya. This, probably, testifies to their similar origin. Olympus Scarp, 3–6 km in height, bounding Olympus Mons, suggests that, during the formation of Olympus Mons vast glaciers existed beyond the polar regions. The distribution of extensive glacial moraines allowed to estimate the area of glaciation to be equal to 1.5–2 × 106 km2, as well as ice sheet thickness of 3–6 km, comparable to the recent height of Olympus Scarp. Several moraine lobes point to multiple phases of glaciations. The directions of the lobe propagation record the asymmetry in glaciers distribution. Edge of the glacier was located 700–750 km away from the crater in the South-western, Western, North-western, Northern, and North-eastern section of the volcano, and 500–600 km away elsewhere. Some of the glacial and fluvioglacial deposits disperse to the maximum extent of 1100 km, probably by giant mud flows, similar to terrestrial Jökulhlaup in Iceland ice-covered volcanoes. Such floods form when the heated during the eruption water melts the ice wall around the erupting vent and outbursts from the volcanic edifice.
About the Author
I. V. Melekestsev
Institute of Volcanology and Seismology far Eastern Branch of RAS
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
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For citations:
Melekestsev I.V. Gigantic volcano-glacial edifice (tuya) Olympus Mountain as an indicator of extensive ancient glaciation in Mars. Geomorfologiya. 2021;52(2):89-99. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31857/S0435428121020073
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