Abalos Colles

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Close-up of USGS map showing the location of Abalos Colles in Planum Boreum in the vicinity of Rupes Tenuis, showing also Abalos Mensa, Abalos Scopuli, and Tenuis Mensa USGS-Mars-MC-1 Map of Planum Boreum cropped showing Abalos Mensa.jpg
Close-up of USGS map showing the location of Abalos Colles in Planum Boreum in the vicinity of Rupes Tenuis, showing also Abalos Mensa, Abalos Scopuli, and Tenuis Mensa

Abalos Colles (Latin for "Abalos Hills") is a stratified fragment of the Rupes Tenuis basal unit of Planum Boreum, [1] [2] located south of the Rupes Tenuis scarp and west of the Escorial crater. [3] [4] It contains 16 mounds. [4] Abalos Colles is one of the named features in the vicinity of Planum Boreum, the Martian North pole. It is named after one of the classical albedo features on Mars located at latitude 72°N, longitude 70°W. [5] Its name was officially approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2003. [5]

Latin Indo-European language of the Italic family

Latin is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. The Latin alphabet is derived from the Etruscan and Greek alphabets and ultimately from the Phoenician alphabet.

Stratum Layer of sedimentary rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics

In geology and related fields, a stratum is a layer of sedimentary rock or soil, or igneous rock that were formed at the Earth's surface, with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers. The "stratum" is the fundamental unit in a stratigraphic column and forms the basis of the study of stratigraphy.

Rupes Tenuis Martian north polar scarp

Rupes Tenuis is a Martian north polar scarp. It is named after one of the classical albedo features on Mars. Its name was officially approved by IAU in 1988. It extends from latitude 74.94°N to 82.2°N and from longitude 242.12°E to 300.77°E. Its centre is located at latitude 81.6°N longitude 85.47°W. It marks the outer perimeter of Planum Boreum from longitude 242.12°E to 300.77°E, and it is formed by the eastern extension of the Olympia Cavi, a series of local troughs and depressions, which become longer and deeper as they merge to create the Rupes Tenuis scarp formation. The scarp is located to the west of Chasma Boreale, at the base of Planum Boreum, and its height varies from a few hundred metres to a maximum of approximately 1000 metres.

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It extends from latitude 74.81°N to 78.78°N and from longitude 284.54°E to 293.39°E (66.61°W – 75.46°W). [5] Its centre is located at latitude 71.65°N, longitude 76.83°W, and has a diameter of 235.83 km. [5] The Abalos Colles mounds are of irregular, angular, or conical form. [3] The tops of the conical forms can feature craters, [3] and can also be flat. [6] Their height varies between less than a hundred to less than 700 metres, with top diameters in the range of 20 km. [3] The northernmost boundary of the dune field of Abalos Undae is located in the southwest channel that separates Abalos Colles from the main ice cap, and from there the dune field extends southwest all the way to the lowlands of Vastitas Borealis. [2] [4] [7]

Abalos Undae

Abalos Undae is a dune field on Mars in the periphery of Planum Boreum, the Martian North pole. It is one of the officially named northern circumpolar dune fields, along with Olympia, Hyperboreae, and Siton Undae, and also one of the densest of the region. Its northernmost boundary is located in the southwest channel that separates the Abalos Colles formation from the main polar ice cap, and from there the dune field extends southwest all the way to the lowlands of Vastitas Borealis.

Vastitas Borealis plain

Vastitas Borealis is the largest lowland region of Mars. It is in the northerly latitudes of the planet and encircles the northern polar region. Vastitas Borealis is often simply referred to as the northern plains, northern lowlands or the North polar erg of Mars. The plains lie 4–5 km below the mean radius of the planet, and is centered at 87.73°N 32.53°E. To the north lies Planum Boreum. A small part of Vastitas Borealis lies in the Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.

Formation

Close-up of an Abalos Colles mound PSP 006875 2580 RED.NOMAP Abalos Colles cropped.jpg
Close-up of an Abalos Colles mound

The Abalos Colles stratigraphy shows similar characteristics with the Rupes Tenuis basal unit, and it is considered a remnant of a larger, contiguous ancient north polar basal unit. The Abalos Colles formation is considered to be the result of large-scale erosion episodes of the Rupes Tenuis basal unit. [1] [8] Probable erosion mechanisms include crater impact which formed ejecta that subsequently covered and protected the ancient basal unit. [1]

Stratigraphy The study of rock layers and their formation

Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has two related subfields: lithostratigraphy and biostratigraphy.

Ejecta particles that came out of a volcanic vent

Ejecta are particles ejected from an area. In volcanology, in particular, the term refers to particles including pyroclastic materials (Tephra) that came out of a volcanic explosion and magma eruption volcanic vent, or crater, has traveled through the air or under water, and fell back on the ground surface or on the ocean floor.

Conical mounds with flat or cratered tops could have been formed by layer accumulations on top of impact craters which then eroded to varying degrees, depending on the size of the original crater. [1] At the southern boundary of Chasma Boreale, a sequence of mounds of Abalos Coles with flat, pitted or cratered tops, show similar morphological characteristics to small Icelandic shield volcanoes of basaltic origin. [8] Adjusted to account for the difference in topology between the two planets, both the terrestrial and Martian volcanoes share similar side slopes and volume to diameter ratios, the latter being defined as the volcanic productivity index. [8]

Iceland Island republic in Northern Europe

Iceland is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic, with a population of 360,390 and an area of 103,000 km2 (40,000 sq mi), making it the most sparsely populated country in Europe. The capital and largest city is Reykjavík, with Reykjavík and the surrounding areas in the southwest of the country being home to over two-thirds of the population. Iceland is volcanically and geologically active. The interior consists of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains, and glaciers, and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite a high latitude almost entirely outside the Arctic Circle. Its high latitude and marine influence keep summers chilly, with most of the archipelago having a tundra climate.

Shield volcano Low profile volcano usually formed almost entirely of fluid lava flows

A shield volcano is a type of volcano usually composed almost entirely of fluid lava flows. It is named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's shield lying on the ground. This is caused by the highly fluid lava erupted, which travels farther than lava erupted from a stratovolcano, and results in the steady accumulation of broad sheets of lava, building up the shield volcano's distinctive form.

Basalt A magnesium- and iron-rich extrusive igneous rock

Basalt is a mafic extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of magnesium-rich and iron-rich lava exposed at or very near the surface of a terrestrial planet or a moon. More than 90% of all volcanic rock on Earth is basalt. Basalt lava has a low viscosity, due to its low silica content, resulting in rapid lava flows that can spread over great areas before cooling and solidification. Flood basalt describes the formation in a series of lava basalt flows.

Images from HiRISE

See also

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Planum Boreum planum on Mars

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Mare Boreum quadrangle

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Chasma Boreale chasma on Mars

Chasma Boreale is a large canyon in Mars's north polar ice cap in the Mare Boreum quadrangle of Mars at 83° north latitude and 47.1° west longitude. It is about 560 km (350 mi) long and was named after a classical albedo feature name. The canyon's sides reveal layered features within the ice cap that result from seasonal melting and deposition of ice, together with dust deposits from Martian dust storms. Information about the past climate of Mars may eventually be revealed in these layers, just as tree ring patterns and ice core data do on Earth. Both polar caps also display grooved features, probably caused by wind flow patterns. The grooves are also influenced by the amount of dust. The more dust, the darker the surface. The darker the surface, the more melting as dark surfaces absorb more energy.

Korolev (Martian crater) crater on Mars

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Martian polar ice caps

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Hagal dune field

Hagal is the informal name of a dune field on Mars located below the north pole of Mars. Its name derives from the sand dunes in Frank Herbert's novel Dune and the fictional planet Hagal. It is located at coordinates 78.0° N latitude, 84.0° E longitude, and consists of linear and round dunes with a southeast slipface orientation. It was one of the dune formations targeted for imaging by the HiRISE camera, onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, at the rate of one image every six weeks. in the third year of its seasonal expedition. It is also known as the "Martian Morse Code" due to the linear and rounded formations of its dunes, which have the appearance of dots and dashes.

Nili Patera dune field

Nili Patera is a dune field on Mars. It is located on top of a lava bed, at the site of an ancient volcano, the Nili Patera caldera of Syrtis Major, near the Martian equator, and it is one of the most active dune fields of Mars. Its location coordinates on Mars are 8.7° N latitude, 67.3° E longitude. It is being actively studied by the HiRISE camera, on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, at the rate of one image every six weeks. The study of the movement of the dunes provides information regarding wind variation as a function of time and furthers the study of surface erosion characteristics of the Martian landscape. This information can then be used for the development and design of future Mars expeditions. The dunes of the Patera field are of the barchan type and their study by HiRISE was the first one to establish dune and ripple movement of a minimum of 1 metre on Mars. The Patera dune field, was also the first to be investigated using the COSI-Corr software, which was originally developed to analyse the movement of earthbound dunes. The research results from the evidence provided by the monitoring of the Nili Patera field, indicate sand fluxes of the order of several cubic metres per metre per year, similar to the flux observed at the sand dunes of Victoria Valley in Antarctica.

Hyperboreae Undae

Hyperboreae Undae is one of the largest and densest dune fields of Planum Boreum, the Martian North Pole. It is named after one of the classical albedo features on Mars. Its name was officially approved by IAU in 1988. It extends from latitude 77.12°N to 82.8°N and from longitude 302.92°E to 316.02°E. Its centre is at latitude 79.96°N, longitude 49.49°W, and has a diameter of 463.65 kilometres (288.10 mi).

Siton Undae

Siton Undae is one of the largest and densest dune fields in the vicinity of Planum Boreum, the Martian northern polar ice-cap. It is named after one of the classical albedo features on Mars. Its name was officially approved by IAU on 20 March 2007. It extends from latitude 73.79°N to 77.5°N and from longitude 291.38°E to 301.4°E. Its centre is located at latitude 75.55°N, longitude 297.28E (62.72°W), and has a diameter of 222.97 kilometres (138.55 mi).

Aspledon Undae

Aspledon Undae is one of the named northern circumpolar dune fields in the vicinity of Planum Boreum, the Martian North pole. It is named after one of the classical albedo features on Mars. Its name was officially approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on 20 March 2007. Its name is Greek, and derives from the name of a town in Boeotia, Ancient Greece, which, in turn, took its name from Aspledon, son of Poseidon, the ancient Greek god of the sea. The dunes of Aspledon Undae extend from latitude 71.47°N to 75.14°N and from longitude 305.83°E to 315.04°E. Its centre is located at latitude 73.06°N, longitude 309.65°E (50.35°W), and has a diameter of 215.2 km.

Abalos Mensa

Abalos Mensa is a wedge-shaped mound, or mensa and one of the named features in the vicinity of Planum Boreum, the Martian North pole. It is named after one of the classical albedo features on Mars. Its name was officially approved by IAU in 2006. It extends from latitude 80.21°N to 82.4°N and from longitude 279.34°E to 290.52°E. Its centre is located at latitude 81.17°N, longitude 284.4°E (75.6°W), and has a diameter of 129.18 km.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 T. KNEISSL; S. VAN GASSELT; L. WENDT; C. GROSS; G. NEUKUM (2011). "Layering and degradation of the Rupes Tenuis unit, Mars – astructural analysis south of Chasma Boreale". Martian Geomorphology. Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 356 (1): 257–279. Bibcode:2011GSLSP.356..257K. doi:10.1144/SP356.13.
  2. 1 2 Niels Hovius; Andrew Lea-Cox; Jens M. Turowski (29 May 2008). "Recent volcano–ice interaction and outburst flooding in a Mars polar cap re-entrant". Icarus. 197 (197): 24–38. Bibcode:2008Icar..197...24H. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2008.04.020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Matthew R. Balme (2011). Martian Geomorphology. Geological Society of London. p. 257. ISBN   978-1-86239-330-1.
  4. 1 2 3 Kenneth L. Tanaka; J. Alexis P. Rodriguez; James A. Skinner Jr; Mary C. Bourke; Corey M. Fortezzo; Kenneth E. Herkenhoff; Eric J. Kolb; Chris H. Okubo (28 February 2008). "North polar region of Mars: Advances in stratigraphy, structure, and erosional modification". Icarus. 196 (2): 318–358. Bibcode:2008Icar..196..318T. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2008.01.021 . Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Abalos Colles". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS.
  6. ↑ Kenneth L. Tanaka and Corey M. Fortezzo. "Geologic Map of the North Polar Region of Mars" (PDF). USGS.
  7. ↑ Kate Fishbaugh (19 November 2008). "Dunes in Abalos Undae".
  8. 1 2 3 Warner, Nicholas H.; Farmer, Jack D. (2008). "The origin of conical mounds at the mouth of Chasma Boreale". Journal of Geophysical Research. 113 (E11008): 1–28. Bibcode:2008JGRE..11311008W. doi:10.1029/2007JE003028.
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