Brookhaven Academy. 8 th Grade Earth Science Final Report

Transcription

1 Brookhaven Academy 8 th Grade Earth Science Final Report

2 Introduction and Hypothesis: Science Question: What effect does elevation have on Martian lava flows? Our class was interested in conducting Earth Science research. After a Google search, we came upon the ASU Mars project. From the results of our class survey, we concluded that our class was very interested in studying volcanoes on Mars. After completing background research, the class decided to focus on how elevation affects lava flows. By studying lava flows on Mars the geology of Mars can be revealed. This research provides an accurate comparison between Earth s features and Mar s features. Others have determined that Mar s atmosphere is 1/100 of the Earth s. This led us to believe that lava flows on Mars would cool at a different rate than those on Earth. At this point in the research process we had not observed lava flows on Mars. Our Hypothesis: If a volcano has a high elevation, then the lava flows will be short. Explanation: Because the temperature is lower at higher elevations, we assume that lava will cool more quickly. Background: Olympus Mons, one of the youngest shield volcanoes, is the largest volcano in the Mars solar system. The lava is sticky and tears when it moves. Ulysses Patera, buried by Pavonis Mon s lava, is located at the middle of Tharsis volcanism. This shield volcano s striking features are its old age and the two large impact craters located on it. Ceraunius Tholus is a basaltic shield volcano located in the Tharsis quadrangle. The slopes are steep with many radial erosion channels and pitted valleys. Arsia Mons is the southernmost shield volcano on the Tharsis bulge.

3 All four volcanoes we examined are shield volcanoes. Because they are shield volcanoes, this means that they are made up of almost entirely fluid lava flows. They erupt high fluid lava. MOLA Map of Mars Volcanoes

4 Olympus Mons Ulysses Patera

5 Arsia Mons Ceraunius Tholus

6 Definitions: Shield volcanoes- Type of volcano usually built almost of fluid lava flows Altitude- The height of an object above sea level Slope- Surface of which one end or side is higher than the other Lava Flows- Streams of molten rock that pour or ooze from an erupting vent Atmosphere- A layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass Caldera- A cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption Olympus Mons- Shield volcano, 14 miles high, tallest mountain in the solar system, 370 miles wide, the summit has 6 nested calderas, 2 miles deep

7 Image of Lava Flows on Mars Lava Flow Formation on Earth Streams of molten rocks ooze from an erupting vent and the lava cools. The lava flow speed depends on many factors. For example, the type of lava that erupts and the viscosity of the lava affect the lava flow pace. When traveling down a steep slope, lava flows are capable of moving 10 kilometers an hour. Viscous andesite flows move very slowly, and usually do not extend more than 8 kilometers away from their vents. Because of the lack of information on the formation of lava flows on Mars, researchers assume the lava flow formations on Mars are very similar to the lava flow formations on Earth. Supporting Hypothesis: Carr et al., discussed in their research that the length of flows varies with altitude of the vent. They stated that the higher the vent, the shorter the flow.

8 Geographic Locations: Olympus Mons elevation: 22 km slope: 2-5 degrees width: 550 km latitude: 18.4 north longitude: 226 east Ulysses Patera elevation: 2-3 km slope: 2-7 degrees width: 2.24 km latitude: 2.7 north longitude:121 west Ceraunius Tholus elevation: 5.5 km slope: 8 degrees width: 130 km latitude: north longitude:262 west Arsia Mons elevation: 18.1 km slope: 7 degrees width: 110 km latitude: 10 south longitude:239 east

9 Methods JMARS was employed to measure lengths of lava flows on the following volcanoes: Pavonis Mons, Olypmus Mons, Ulysses Patera, and Arsia Mons 1) Login to J Mars. 2) Enter longitude and latitude on the volcano. 3) Click on: Add new layer Stamps Themis 4) Type in longitude and latitude then click Okay. 5) Once blue boxes appear, zoom into the vent of the volcano. 6) Double click on blue box until it turns yellow. 7) Right click and select Render Selected THEMIS Stamps. 8) Click Render Selected BWS. 9) After the box loads, zoom in and search for visible lava flows. 10) On the left, move Custom Shape box up to control this box. 11) Right click and select Add Points/Lines/Polygons 12) Double click on the beginning of the lava flow, drag the curser over and click the path of the lava flow until the end. 13) Double click on Custom Shape. 14) Click on Feature and Edit Columns. 15) Name: length Type: Perimeter 16) Select Add Column and Okay. 17) Record length in notebook.

10 Targeted THEMIS Image THEMIS Image

11 Lava Flow Length Example of Measurements Data Tables 25 Arsia Mons Series1 Linear (Series1) Elevation

12 16 Pavonis Mons Lava Flow Length ,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 Elevation Series1 Linear (Series1) 14 Ulysses Pattera Lava Flow Length Series1 Linear (Series1) ,000 12,200 12,400 12,600 Elevation 12,800

13 9 Olympus Mons Lava Flow Length ,500 19,000 19,500 20,000 Elevation Series1 Linear (Series1) 25 Combined Lava Flow Data 20 Lava Flow Length Series1 Linear (Series1) Elevation

14 Discussion In doing preliminary research, the following facts on Mars were discovered: Because of the thin Martian atmosphere, little heat is retained. Heat present on Mars comes from solar radiation absorbed by the ground. The temperature on Mars ranges from -80 F to 70 F. The atmosphere on Mars is one hundred times thinner than Earth s. Weather, clouds, and winds exist on Mars. Wind currents lift dust into the air, absorbing sunlight, and allows for heating of the Martian surface. This causes dust storms. Our targeted image showed wind streaks as well as evidence of lava flows. This image along with other data collected was invaluable in our research. Errors and Bias Human errors are often present in group research. Misinterpretations may also happen during research projects. Our research was limited due to not being able to find THEMIS images covering the entire volcano. Because we began this project with very little knowledge, we were not bias. The amount of data that we collected creates a greater potential for error. Conclusions Science Question: What effect does elevation have on Martian lava flows? Data showed that volcanic elevation does have an effect on lava flows. The average flow length was longer for lowest elevation volcano and shorter for the highest elevation volcano. Atmospheric temperature has an effect on the cooling rate of lava flows. Adiabatic temperature changes can be used to explain the data results. In this process, as air is heated by the surface it expands. As the air expands it becomes lighter and rises. As it rises, it expands even more. It is able to continue to expand because of the low pressure in higher elevations. Lower pressure means there is fewer molecules present. Fewer molecules allows for more expansion room. Energy is needed for molecular expansion. The expansion room leads to less vibration of the molecules. Because of this the temperature of the molecules drops. The air cools and moves toward the Martian surface. This movement increases atmospheric pressure at lower elevation. This in turn causes greater movement of molecules and an increased temperature. Therefore, adiabatic warming and cooling keeps the temperature at the surface of Mars

15 higher than that at higher elevations. This allows for lava flows to be longer at low elevations compared to lava flows at higher elevations. Hypothesis: Our hypothesis was supported by Carr et al. s research. Their research supports the theory that the higher the altitude of a vent the shorter the lava flow will be. Future Work There is much future work to be done in understanding lava flows on Mars. There are many still unknowns about Mars and what factors affect the lava flows. To expand this research project more lava flow data should be collected on volcanoes of varying altitudes. Other variables that might affect lava flows are the location of the volcano on the Martian surface and the slope of the volcano. Acknowledgements A special thanks to Miss Jessica Swann for her invaluable guidance throughout this project. She has the patience of Job and a heart for students and their education. This project would not have been possible without her guidance. Also, a special thanks to ASU for providing this program to encourage Mars exploration. References

16 "Adiabatic Temperature Changes - Geography For Kids - By KidsGeo.com."Geography & Geology For Kids - By KidsGeo.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May < adiabatic-temperature-changes.php>. Burhham, R. (2013, January 12). Explosive eruptions in dense ancient atmospheres Red Planet Report. Red Planet Report What's up with Mars. Retrieved April 24, 2013, from Carr, M. H., R. Greeley, K. R. Blasius, J. E. Guest, and J. B. Murray (1977), Some Martian volcanic features as viewed from the Viking orbiters, J. Geophys. Res., 82(28), , doi: /js082i028p Fergason, R. L., P. R. Christensen, and H. H. Kieffer (2006), High-resolution thermal inertia derived from the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS): Thermal model and applications, J. Geophys. Res., 111, E12004, doi: /2006je Lava Flows and their Effects. (n.d.). Volcano Hazards Program. Retrieved April 24, 2013, from Mars Exploration: Multimedia. (n.d.). Mars Exploration Program. Retrieved April 24, 2013, from Robbins. (2011). MOLA image. Icarus, 211, Retrieved April 24, 2013, from Mars-volcanomap.jpg&imgrefurl= html&h=366&w=650&sz=93&tbnid=xsqjcclzqlnsrm:&tbnh=64&tbnw=1 13&zoom=1&usg= igv4km4zwdjno0s7kssf6nn_mz8 Smith, D. E., et al. (2001), Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter: Experiment summary after the first year of global mapping of Mars, J. Geophys. Res., 106(E10), , doi: /2000je Ulysses Patera. (n.d.). Volcano World Your World is Erupting. Retrieved April 24, 2013, from ulyses.html Watt, K. (2002). Mars Student Imaging Project: Resource Manuel. Retrieved January 14, 2013, from Arizona State University, Mars Student Imaging Project Web site:

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