Lava flows morphology

Byers C. D., Garcia M. O., and Muenow D. W. (1986) Volatiles in basaltic glasses from the East Pacific Rise at 21°N implications for MORE sources and submarine lava flow morphology. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 79, 9-20. 

Many smooth plains, such as those associated with Rudaki crater and Tolstoj basin (Figure 1), have morphological features consistent with their origin as lava flows. The embayments indicated by the arrows in Figure 1 are similar to those of the lunar maria. More important, the smooth plains in... 

The morphological and spectral arguments for the existence of lava flows on Mercury are strong, but not unassailable. Jeanloz et al. (1995) argue on the basis of low FeO and mid-IR emission spectral data (Sprague et al., 1994) that the surface is dominated by plagioclase. The similarity of... 

Figure 1 Examples of different morphologies, surface textures and sediment cover on lava flows on the northern East Pacific Rise. Digital images were taken from heights of 5-1 Om above the seafloor using the Woods Hole Oceanographic Instution s camera system. The dimensions of the photographs are approximately 4.5 m x 3.0 m. (A) Pillow lava. (B) Hackly or scrambled flow. (C) Lobate lava. (D) Lineated sheet flow. (E) Ropy sheet flow. (F) Collapse structure in lobate flows. (G) A young flow contact on top of older flows. (H) Heavily sediment covered lobate flows with small fissure. Images from Kuras etal. 2000.

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