Orlov, C orcid.org/0000-0001-8337-2982, Bramham, EK orcid.org/0000-0002-3418-1255, Thomas, M orcid.org/0000-0002-1300-177X et al. (3 more authors) (2022) Structural architecture and deformation history of Tempe Terra, Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 127 (11). e2022JE007407. ISSN 2169-9097
Abstract
The structurally complex region of Tempe Terra, located in the northeast of the Tharsis Rise on Mars, preserves deformation related to the growth of Tharsis and lies along the trendline formed by the Tharsis Montes volcanoes. We characterize the spatiotemporal tectonic evolution of Tempe Terra based on comprehensive structural mapping. From this mapping, we identified 16 cross-cutting fault sets and placed these in relative time order, based on a hybrid approach using cross-cutting relationships and buffered crater counting. We are thus able to provide a broad framework for understanding the timing of development for the Tharsis Rise and Tharsis Montes axial trend (TMAT). Our work shows that Tempe Terra has experienced three distinct stages of tectonic activity from the Middle Noachian to the Late Hesperian. Stage 1 involved E–W extension followed by localized NE–SW extension, which produced local zones of N and NW faulting through the center and west of Tempe Terra in the Noachian. Stage 2 produced intense NE-oriented faulting concentrated along the TMAT in the Early Hesperian as a result of a discrete period of NW–SE extension and local volcanism. Stage 3 involved NW–SE extension coinciding with Tharsis volcanic activity, which generated a regional fabric of ENE-trending graben distributed across Tempe Terra from the Early to Late Hesperian. We observe an overall peak in tectonic activity in the Early Hesperian and find that Tharsis-related extensional deformation in the form of NE-oriented radial faulting did not start in Tempe Terra until this time.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022. The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | Mars; structural geology; tectonics; Tempe Terra; Tharsis |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Inst of Geophysics and Tectonics (IGT) (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Institute for Applied Geosciences (IAG) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 28 Oct 2022 15:06 |
Last Modified: | 25 Jun 2023 23:08 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1029/2022JE007407 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:192524 |