The lava section in the Troodos ophiolite, Cyprus, is chemically stratified and divided into a shallow lava sequence with low TiO2 content and a deeper lava sequence with high TiO2 content. We calculate the viscosity at magmatic temperature based on major element chemistry of lavas in Cyprus Crustal Drilling Project (CCSP) Holes CY-1 and 1A. We find that typical shallow low-Ti lavas have a magm...

The flow of lava into the ocean at the shoreline of Kilauea Volcano during the ongoing Pu’u O’o eruption has allowed a detailed study of the geochemical interaction between lava and seawater. This paper focuses on the chemistry of the major and minor elements in the fluids that resulted from this interaction. The elemental enrichments in these fluids are dominated by three processes: (1) evapor...

0019-1035/$ see front matter 2009 Published by doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2009.09.011 * Corresponding author. Address: US Geological Su Program, 2255 N. Gemini Dr., Flagstaff, AZ 86001, Un E-mail address: [email protected] (W.L. Jaeger). Recently acquired data from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), Context (CTX) imager, and Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (C...

Recent modeling studies of the early Mars climate predict a predominantly cold climate, characterized by the formation of regional ice sheets across the highland areas of Mars. Formation of the predicted “icy highlands” ice sheets is coincident with a peak in the volcanic flux of Mars involving the emplacement of the Late Noachian – Early Hesperian ridged plains unit. We explore the relationshi...

Introduction: The Olympus Mons shield volcano on the northwestern edge of Mars’ Tharsis rise is the largest volcano in the solar system. Its volcanic history is intimately tied with the volcanic and geodynamic history of Tharsis and of Mars as a whole. Previous studies used crater counting to estimate the age of the flanks of Olympus, with typical values of ~200 Myr [1]. However, establishing t...

Venusian lava channels have meander dimensions that relate to their mode of formation. Their meander properties generally follow terrestrial river trends of wavelength (L) to width (W) ratios, suggesting an equilibrium adjustment of channel form. Slightly higher L/W for many Venusian channels in comparison to terrestrial rivers may relate to nonaqueous flow processes. The unusually low L/W valu...

Introduction: For many years, the nature of emplacement of large ‘flat-topped’ sheet flows on Mars has puzzled planetary scientists. Large terrestrial basaltic a’a flows may extend for tens of km and tend to exhibit significant viscosity increases (up to several orders of magnitude) along the path of the flow due to incipient cooling and crystallization. The change in viscosity usually causes a...

Magnetic field surveys obtained near the seafloor can map the boundaries of recent volcanic eruptions and can provide thickness estimates of these lava flow units independent of bathymetry differencing methods. Magnetic thickness estimation requires knowledge of the intensity of magnetization of the new lava and surrounding terrain, but this can be satisfactorily obtained by representative samp...