Introduction to the Tectonic and Volcanic History of the Tharsis Province, Mars

摘要

The Tharsis province of Mars is now known to be one of the most complex geologic terrains in the Solar System. After Mariner 9 became the first artificial satellite to orbit another planet, the peaks of the large Tharsis shield volcanoes were the first surface features detected while the largest observed global dust storm at Mars began to settle. The Mariner, Viking, and Russian missions to Mars in the 1960s and 1970s showed researchers that this region displays some of the largest volcanoes and tectonic systems across the Solar System, including rocks that span the entire history of Mars' surface formation and evolution.