Diverse igneous activity

Martian volcanic minerals vary from basaltic to glassy dacite. Subtle variations in volcanic composition occur across the planet, with dacite and andesite flows in isolated areas.

TES made the first global mineral maps of Mars and discovered that Martian igneous activity is roughly as diverse as Earth’s. Martian volcanic minerals vary from basaltic to glassy dacite. Subtle variations in volcanic composition occur across the planet, with dacite and andesite flows in isolated areas.

Global mineral maps produced from TES data gave the first detailed picture of Mars’ mineralogical diversity. This image, one of many, maps the locations of high-calcium pyroxene, an igneous mineral indicating the presence of basalt. Additional mineral maps are available from the TES ASU Data Archive.

References

  • Christensen, P.R., H.Y. McSween, Jr., J.L. Bandfield, S.W. Ruff, A.D. Rogers, V.E. Hamilton, N. Gorelick, M.B. Wyatt, B.M. Jakosky, H.H. Kieffer, M.C. Malin, and J.E. Moersch, Evidence for igneous diversity and magmatic evolution on Mars from infrared observations, Nature, 436, doi:10.1038/nature03639, 2005.
  • Bandfield, J.L., V.E. Hamilton, P.R.Christensen, and H.Y. McSween, Jr., Identification of quartzofeldspathic materials on Mars, J. Geophys. Res., 109, DOI:10.1029/2004JE002290, 2004.
  • Hamilton, V.E., and P.R.Christensen, Evidence for extensive olivine-rich bedrock in Nili Fossae, Mars, Geology, 33, 433-436, 2005.