Mars: Paleostratigraphic restoration of buried surfaces in Tharsis Montes

Icarus
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Abstract

Volcanism in the Tharsis province of Mars occurred in several different areas and was generally continuous without large time intervals between eruptive episodes. Major lava flow units are numerous and extensive, but relatively thin. In many places, impact craters on buried surfaces project above younger flows that overlie them. A new application of crater dating methods has been developed to aid in the identification of these buried surfaces and to determine their lateral extent. The technique is especially adaptable to the Tharsis region where the stratigraphic succession of major flow units has been established by detailed geologic mapping. Knowledge of the overall stratigraphy allows correlations to be made between known and unknown surfaces by comparing their crater frequencies at diameters large enough to insure their recognition on the buried unit. The method has been applied to aid in the restoration of buried rock units and to construct a series of paleostratigraphic maps showing the sequence of major eruptive events in the Tharsis region.




Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Mars: Paleostratigraphic restoration of buried surfaces in Tharsis Montes
Series title Icarus
DOI 10.1016/0019-1035(81)90036-1
Volume 45
Issue 2
Year Published 1981
Language English
Publisher Elsevier
Description 16 p.
First page 304
Last page 319
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