Ideas for Integrating Mars Data into Undergraduate Courses: Volcanic Processes

Determining nature and origin of volcanic constructs on Mars

• Highland paterae (flank slopes <2 degrees) on Mars are interpreted as basaltic ash-flow shields produced by explosive basaltic or basaltic andesite eruptions. Explore the question of why and how basaltic volcanism could produce large constructs by explosive eruptions on Mars but not typically on Earth (petrology).
• How do the maximum lengths of pyroclastic flows on Mars compare to maximum lengths on Mars? What factors control those lengths and why? (petrology).