Inferno Chasm Rift Zone, Idaho: A Terrestrial Analog for Plains-style Volcanism in Southeastern Mare Serenitatis on the Moon

Abstract:

Volcanic features aligned along a linear graben in southeastern Mare Serenitatis (19°N, 27.5°E) on the Moon resemble a series of effusive basaltic landforms erupted along the Inferno Chasm rift zone within Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve (COTM), Idaho (42°58’00”N, 113°11’25”W). This region in Idaho is the type-locale for terrestrial plains-style volcanism. Examples of lunar plains-style volcanism have previously been described within Orientale Basin at Lacus Veris and Lacus Autumni, but this eruption style has not been used to describe the site in Mare Serenitatis. The SSERVI FINESSE team (Field Investigations to Enable Solar System Science and Exploration) has documented the features along Inferno Chasm rift using a LiDAR, Differential Global Positioning Systems, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to compare with Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Narrow-Angle Camera images and digital terrain models. The region in southeastern Mare Serenitatis provides one of the best concentrations of features representative of lunar plains-style volcanism. On the Moon, these features include a cone (Osiris), a flat-topped dome, a rille-like channel (Isis), a vent, and a possible perched lava pond. In Idaho, the analog features include a dome (Grand View Crater), a rille-like channel (Inferno Chasm), vents (Cottrells Blowout, Horse Butte), and a perched lava pond (Papadakis). Both the scale and morphology of the features on the Moon are similar to the features in Idaho. For example, the channel in Isis is ~3 km long, 283 m-wide, and 25 m deep compared to Inferno Chasm which is ~1.7 km long, 100 m wide, and 20 m deep. The slope of the channel in Isis is -1.2°, while the channel in Inferno Chasm has a slope of -0.33°. The alignment of landforms on the Moon and Idaho are both consistent with dike emplacement. Observations of the flow stratigraphy for features in Idaho will inform the potential eruption conditions of the individual features on the Moon.