DEVELOPMENT OF SHIELD FIELDS ON EARTH, MARS, THE MOON AND VENUS

Small (<30 km across at the base) basaltic volcanic constructs are abundant on the terrestrial planets, and can be found in a range of volcano-tectonic environments. Investigating their morphologies and eruption patterns in space and time can reveal important information about source regions and shallow magmatic plumbing systems. We are currently investigating the Snake River Plain as a terrestrial analog to fields of low martian shield volcanoes. We have shown that there is likely a correlation between shield morphology—specifically flank slopes as a function of distance from the vent--and lava composition on Earth and Mars. Analyses of shield volumes and spatial distributions on the terrestrial planets will allow for more quantitative comparisons of magma production and eruption rates, and how these differ depending on planetary body and geological context.