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Scoria cones as climate and erosion markers: morphometric analysis of Erebus Volcanic Province, Antarctica, using high-resolution digital elevation data

Collins, Andrew L
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1431098872

Abstract Details

2015, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Earth Sciences.
Cinder cones in the Erebus Volcanic Province provide important markers of climate, erosion, and stress in the Ross Sea region of Antarctica, but they have not previously been systematically studied. Cinder cones provide ideal subjects for morphological analysis because they consistently form as radially symmetric landforms with approximately constant slopes. DEMs are used in tandem with satellite images and parameterization algorithms in this study to characterize landforms and surface properties of glaciated and non-glaciated Erebus Volcanic Province cinder cones. Cone dimensions are similar to those in other intraplate environments and generally smaller than cones in subduction- and rift-related settings. Average height/width ratios are more characteristic of volcano cone fields than platform cone fields, but the volcanic terrain of the Erebus Volcanic Province is likely a complex combination of both field types. Elongation of cinder cones in the Erebus Volcanic Province is common and most elongated cones have long axes oriented parallel or subparallel to the slope direction of terrain underlying them, indicating topographic control of cone asymmetry. Some cones with orientations independent of terrain controls suggest that regional stresses exert control on cone elongation, as suggested by previous research. Shape modification by wind and overriding glaciers may also play a role in producing cone asymmetry. Erosion rates on cinder cones in the Erebus Volcanic Province are generally slower and more linear than in other, more temperate regions. This is most likely due to a decreased influence of the role of liquid water, as evidenced by lack of increasing surface irregularity with time. Previous research has shown that wind has significant abrading power when persistent, and that volcanic terrain has increased shear strength because of surface roughness and angularity. Both of these factors likely contribute to the relatively slow rate of erosion in the EVP compared with fields in the southwestern US, the Canary Islands, Mexico, and Russia. The role of cold-based glaciers in polar erosion regimes was evaluated for the Pleistocene and remains unclear. Rates of slope degradation for glaciated and non-glaciated cones are similar, and statistical analysis indicates that the trends are statistically indistinguishable from one another. Therefore it may be that overriding by cold-based glaciers does not markedly affect cone morphology. Surface irregularity does increase after repeated overriding by polar glaciers compared with glacier-free cones. This might be linked to meltwater channel activity at the base of polar glaciers during times of glacial cover. Morphologic study of cinder cones has established an age-calibrated rate of surface change in a polar desert environment. Establishment of an absolute age classification based on the degree of cone slope and height/width degradation can potentially be used to assign ages to the hundreds of undated cones in Antarctica, and may also prove applicable as a dating tool for volcanism in other cold-desert environments, such as those on Mars and other terrestrial planets. Because of error ranges in parameters and age values, absolute age can currently only be assigned to broad age groups with a reasonable degree of certainty. However, a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that affect initial cone formation and morphological change over time may allow better constraints for more precisely predicting cinder cone age.
Terry Wilson (Advisor)
Ian Howat (Committee Member)
Michael Durand (Committee Member)
198 p.
Earth; Geological; Geology; Geomorphology
Antarctica; cinder cone; scoria cone; volcano; Erebus Volcanic Province; polar; dry-based; cold-based; glaciers; SETSM; NETVOLC; MORVOLC; McMurdo Volcanic Group; DEM

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Citations

  • Collins, A. L. (2015). Scoria cones as climate and erosion markers: morphometric analysis of Erebus Volcanic Province, Antarctica, using high-resolution digital elevation data [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1431098872

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Collins, Andrew. Scoria cones as climate and erosion markers: morphometric analysis of Erebus Volcanic Province, Antarctica, using high-resolution digital elevation data. 2015. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1431098872.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Collins, Andrew. "Scoria cones as climate and erosion markers: morphometric analysis of Erebus Volcanic Province, Antarctica, using high-resolution digital elevation data." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1431098872

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1431098872
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