Where the flood lava of two gigantic Martian volcanoes meet
Click for original image.
Today’s cool image illustrates once again the importance of looking not simply at the picture but at the surrounding larger context in order to understand the Martian features within the photograph.
The photo to the left, cropped, reduced, and sharpened to post here, was taken on January 31, 2023 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The location is at 26 north latitude, so it is in the dry equatorial regions. It shows what appears to be a large Martian flood lava plain, with at least two different flood lava events appearing to flow to the northeast, with the second only partly covering the first.
From this high resolution image it seemed probable that the source of the flow was from the southwest, an assumption that at first glance is strengthened by the overview map below.
The black dot between the volcanoes Olympus Mons and Alba Mons marks this location. Since the lava is closer to Olympus Mons and appears to descend to the northeast, assuming this flood lava came from Olympus seems reasonable.
And that assumption is wrong. The second image to the right was taken on January 9, 2012 by MRO’s context camera. The white rectangle indicates the area covered by the high resolution image above.
The context image clearly shows that the first picture is showing the northern edge of a tongue of lava flowing down from the east. Instead of coming from Olympus Mons, this flood lava was probably released by the giant but relatively flat shield volcano Alba Mons, even though the indistinct caldera of Alba is twice as far away, a distance of about 1,200 miles.
Can lava on Mars flow so far before hardening? Apparently it can, according other research. The low Martian gravity makes lava on Mars is less viscous than on Earth, so it flows much faster. For example, scientists believe that a lava flow in Kasei Valles traveled more than 1,000 miles in less than a few weeks.
In this case it appears the flows from Alba Mons were covering the earlier flows from Olympus Mons, suggesting that the former is younger than the latter. We don’t know this yet, but this is what this data suggests.
These volcano images also illustrate the importance on any issue of always digging a bit more before forming any opinion. I could have simply looked at the high resolution image above and concluded it came from Olympus Mons, but I decided I needed to look a little deeper. Similarly, when I write my daily blacklist column I always dig a bit deeper, reading not just the original story but the legal documents as well as other news reports. I also often review the websites of the individuals and institutions involved to find out more about them.
In our quick-click internet social media world today, people tend to read a short article quickly and instantly form an opinion. Similarly, many journalists read a press release and do little other research, essentially regurgitating what they have read. This is all a mistake, as almost certainly these instantaneous conclusions are in error, or lacking in depth. Our society would become far more civilized and thoughtful if everyone always took a breath and looked deeper.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Click for original image.
Today’s cool image illustrates once again the importance of looking not simply at the picture but at the surrounding larger context in order to understand the Martian features within the photograph.
The photo to the left, cropped, reduced, and sharpened to post here, was taken on January 31, 2023 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The location is at 26 north latitude, so it is in the dry equatorial regions. It shows what appears to be a large Martian flood lava plain, with at least two different flood lava events appearing to flow to the northeast, with the second only partly covering the first.
From this high resolution image it seemed probable that the source of the flow was from the southwest, an assumption that at first glance is strengthened by the overview map below.
The black dot between the volcanoes Olympus Mons and Alba Mons marks this location. Since the lava is closer to Olympus Mons and appears to descend to the northeast, assuming this flood lava came from Olympus seems reasonable.
And that assumption is wrong. The second image to the right was taken on January 9, 2012 by MRO’s context camera. The white rectangle indicates the area covered by the high resolution image above.
The context image clearly shows that the first picture is showing the northern edge of a tongue of lava flowing down from the east. Instead of coming from Olympus Mons, this flood lava was probably released by the giant but relatively flat shield volcano Alba Mons, even though the indistinct caldera of Alba is twice as far away, a distance of about 1,200 miles.
Can lava on Mars flow so far before hardening? Apparently it can, according other research. The low Martian gravity makes lava on Mars is less viscous than on Earth, so it flows much faster. For example, scientists believe that a lava flow in Kasei Valles traveled more than 1,000 miles in less than a few weeks.
In this case it appears the flows from Alba Mons were covering the earlier flows from Olympus Mons, suggesting that the former is younger than the latter. We don’t know this yet, but this is what this data suggests.
These volcano images also illustrate the importance on any issue of always digging a bit more before forming any opinion. I could have simply looked at the high resolution image above and concluded it came from Olympus Mons, but I decided I needed to look a little deeper. Similarly, when I write my daily blacklist column I always dig a bit deeper, reading not just the original story but the legal documents as well as other news reports. I also often review the websites of the individuals and institutions involved to find out more about them.
In our quick-click internet social media world today, people tend to read a short article quickly and instantly form an opinion. Similarly, many journalists read a press release and do little other research, essentially regurgitating what they have read. This is all a mistake, as almost certainly these instantaneous conclusions are in error, or lacking in depth. Our society would become far more civilized and thoughtful if everyone always took a breath and looked deeper.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
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