Geological Society of America

T226 Best Practices and Exciting Discoveries in Identifying, Mapping, and Analyzing Planetary Landforms and Terrestrial Analogues

Wednesday, 12 October 2022
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
501

THE GEODES FIELD EXPEDITION TO KILBOURNE HOLE AND POTRILLO VOLCANIC FIELD IN NEW MEXICO

Paper number: T226-9
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:50 AM – 10:05 AM

Authors

Nicholas Schmerr Presenting Author
University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Huapeng Huang
University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Shannon Rees
Navarro Research and Engineering, Las Cruces, NM
John West
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Jose Hurtado
University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
Tara Sweeney
University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
Nohemi Valenzuela
University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
Jacob Richardson
University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Kelsey Young
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
Patrick L. Whelley
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
Molly Wasser
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
Caela Barry
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
Ernest R. Bell
University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Casey Braccia
University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Linden Wike
University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Abstract

In November of 2021, members of the Geophysical Exploration of the Dynamics and Evolution of the Solar System (GEODES) team joined the Remote, In Situ, and Synchrotron Studies for Science and Exploration 2 (RISE2) team in a joint Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) field expedition to the Potrillo Volcanic Field (PVF) in southern New Mexico. The PVF is a monogenetic cinder cone field, and hosts a wide variety of cinder cones, maar craters and associated ash deposits, lava flows, several lava tubes, and shield volcanoes, all analogues to these types of terranes on the lunar surface. GEODES worked at Kilbourne Hole, a maar crater located to the east side of the PVF, and a well know mantle xenolith locality. Kilbourne Hole has been used extensively by the RISE2 team for operational exploration studies and astronaut simulations.

GEODES team members conducted a series of co-located geophysical surveys, including 2-D active source refraction/reflection seismic profiles, 200 and 400 MHz GPR transects, and total field magnetic profiles, all combined with geological sampling of the different units on the rim of the crater. Our goal was to determine the geophysical properties of the eruption deposits, both in-situ in the field and in hand samples in the laboratory through experimental rock physics. These geophysical surveys were designed to be analogous to surveys that will be conducted during future missions to the Moon and to familiarize astronaut training participants from RISE2 with geophysical equipment, methods, and active source sounding techniques. The geophysical lines were placed inside the scan areas of LiDAR and drone photogrammetry conducted by team members of RISE2. A prototype field instrument, Tomo-XRF, a joint micro-computed tomography and X-ray fluorescence 3-D scanning system was tested on field samples. The data generated by these activities will be shared with the scientific community in the Online Planetary Analogs Geophysical Database and Digital Repositories at the University of Maryland.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 54, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2022AM-383458

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