281-7 Evaluating the use of Ground Penetrating Radar data sets from buried volcanic terrains for use in planetary settings

Session: Petrology, Volcanology, and Mantle Plumes across the Solar System, Part II

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Abstract:

Volcanism is a primary planetary process that creates distinctive products which can be directly linked to the history of planetary bodies. Volcanism is a significant contributor to the resurfacing of several planetary bodies in our solar system. Resurfacing events include both past (i.e., the lunar mare emplacement) and current (i.e., young surface age of Venus and Io eruptions) volcanic activity that results in the burial of previously exposed deposits. In addition, mixing of surface depositions (i.e. impact cratering on the Moon or massive floods on Mars) can also obscure older geologic units that are necessary to fully interpret the evolution of planetary bodies through understanding their volcanic behaviors. 

Investigation of subsurface units can potentially extend our understanding of how some planetary bodies evolve. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a subsurface-sensing geophysical technique that provides local or regional information about geologic units, both continuous and discrete, in various settings from centimeters to tens of meters in depth. The integrity of GPR data interpretations is greatly improved by ground truthing. Effective application of this technique to other planetary bodies would similarly benefit from thorough investigation of selected terrestrial analog surfaces.

This investigation seeks to develop a GPR analog data set that can be applied to the identification of specific types of volcanic units under a variety of conditions and can be used to identify buried volcanic materials on other planetary bodies. Our analogs include field sites in the Black Rock Desert volcanic field (UT), Potrillo volcanic field (NM), the Channeled Scablands (WA), and on Maunakea (HI). These sites were chosen for their variety of sedimentary and explosive / extrusive volcanic products. These analogs can be applied to other planetary surfaces, dependent on combinations of rock type, grain-size, packing density, thickness, and layering order. GPR data was also collected for internal features within certain volcanic units, such as lava tubes, partial collapse structures, or internal bedding within volcaniclastic deposits. Results indicate that diagnostic GPR data sets for specific volcanic materials or features can be used for identifying similar aspects of buried materials across multiple terrestrial settings with potential for planetary applications. The results also highlight the limitations of terrestrial-based data sets that are influenced by solely Earth-based processes.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-8312

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