45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2014) 2807.pdf A Large Vent Structure within Argyre Basin, Mars J.-P. Williams1, J. M. Dohm2, R. M. Lopes3, and D. L. Buczkowski4, 1Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA (
[email protected]), 2Earth-Life Science Inst., Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan, 3Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech., Pasadena, CA 91109, USA, 4Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Lab, Laurel MD 20723, USA. Introduction: The Argyre Basin, an impact basin Given the geologic history of the Argyre basin in the southern highlands southeast of Tharsis at involving an aqueous and ice rich environment, −51◦ S and 317◦ E, is one of the largest impact phreatic and phreatomagmatic eruptions may have basins on Mars with a diameter > 1200 km. The played a role in forming the feature. Tuff cones, basin formed in the Early Noachian and has expe- tuff rings, and maars result from the explosive in- rienced a complex geologic history. The basin has teraction of magma with standing water or ground been a sink for volatiles and other materials expe- water. These features however tend to be much riencing a significant influx of sediments and par- smaller in scale. The largest known maars on Earth, tial infilling with water. Eolian activity has played the Espenberg Maars on the Seward Peninsula in a substantial role in contributing to the present day northwest Alaska, are 4 − 8 km in diameter and re- morphology of the basin floor. Detailed descrip- sulted from a series of basaltic eruptions through tions of the basin and its geologic history can be thick permafrost [4].