The northernmost limit of the lava flow fronts in the Martian lowlands
Journal
JOURNAL OF VOLCANOLOGY AND GEOTHERMAL RESEARCH
Date Issued
2026-06
Author(s)
Leone, Giovanni
Verolino, Andrea
Cataldo, Vincenzo
El Yazidi, Mayssa
Abstract
Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA), Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) and Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) data reveal a new picture of the volcanic units that drape the Martian lowlands since the volcanic peak occurred during the Pre-Noachian-Noachian eons of the Martian history (4.567-3.920 Ga). This work shows how lava can travel long distances even on cold planetary surfaces and environments provided enough erupting rate is available to maintain the flow front hot and advancing. The northernmost limit of the lava flows reaches the subpolar lowlands at a maximum distance of more than 20,000 km (e.g., via Valles Marineris) from the volcanic centers located on Tharsis and in the neighboring equatorial and subtropical regions. Such a distance was never reached on Earth thus showing that Mars volcanism was anomalous for its mass and its original reservoir of radiogenic sources. Furthermore, we infer that the North Pole is also a spreading center of lava flows as predicted by the by the Southern Polar Giant Impact (SPGI) modelling, which explains such an anomalous volcanism. We investigated three main aspects of the Martian lowlands: 1) the localization of the volcanic sources of the lavas that flooded them; 2) the localization of the northernmost limit of the initial lava flooding from the south as well as from the north;" and 3) the localization of the latest main flow fronts. Main results include: center dot Initial lava flooding coming from Arcadia and Utopia reached the maximum distance nearly at latitude 85 degrees N. A subsequent wave of flows coming from Elysium Mons, Syrtis Major, and Tyrrhenus Mons had their confluence in Utopia Planitia and reached the maximum distance at a latitude of around 75.00 degrees N. center dot The flow fronts coming from Alba Mons, Elysium Mons and Olympus Mons had their confluence in Arcadia Planitia and the maximum distance reached in this region of Mars is found to be at latitude 60.61 degrees N. center dot The maximum distance of the subsequent wave of lava flows in Acidalia Planitia is found to be up to latitude 60 degrees N. center dot A comparison with the ages of the largest impact basins on Mars suggests an age for the lava flows in the northern lowlands included between 4.5 and 4.1 Ga, which is consistent with the ages calculated by the SPGI modelling. The interpretation of visual observations conducted on the investigated flows appear to be supported by the results obtained from a Bingham plastic model enabling determination of the maximum length potentially traveled by the flowing lava. We find that most, if not all, of the flows could have traveled out to their terminus in one eruptive event in the presence of high lava volumes and near-constant effusion rates."
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