115 Petrology, Volcanology, and Mantle Plumes across the Solar System (Posters)

This session focuses on recent advances in characterizing and quantifying volcanic processes throughout the Solar System in light of recent and upcoming missions to volcanically active worlds and resurgence in volcano science.

Monday, 20 October 2025
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
HBGCC, Hall 1

A Volcanic Discovery?: Morphology studies reveals the first potential Volcano near Jezero Crater on Mars

Paper number: 115-8
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 8:00 AM

Authors

  • Martina Rizzo Presenting Author
    Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber" (UBA-CONICET), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
  • Melina Llanos
    Instituto de Geociencias Basicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires (UBA-CONICET), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
  • Mauro Spagnuolo
    Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber" (UBA-CONICET), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires

Abstract

Jezero Mons (78.23°E, 18.162°N) is a prominent conical landform rising approximately 500 m above the southeastern rim of Jezero Crater and nearly 2 km above the surrounding plains. Despite its location within one of Mars’ most scientifically significant regions, Jezero Mons remains understudied. While other authors proposed a volcanic origin, alternative interpretations suggest it may be an erosional remnant of a collapsed crater rim or the product of an ancient impact event. Here, we present new morphological and topographic evidence supporting its volcanic origin. We conducted a morphometric analysis using 15 topographic profiles and slope maps derived from MOLA and CTX data, where we compared different aspects of the topography with nearby craters, including Jezero, Sedona, and two unnamed analogues. Slope maps of impact craters typically display concentric zones of gradient change—gentle outer slopes, a ring of steep slope, then progressively shallower before steep inner crater walls. In contrast, Jezero Mons crater exhibits a continuous and smoothly varying slope, lacking the characteristic breaks seen in impact structures. Furthermore, the base of Jezero Mons crater lies above the maximum elevation of Jezero Crater’s rim, inconsistent with formation by an impact. While the inner walls of impact craters such as Sedona show symmetric profiles with tightly spaced concentric contours, Jezero Mons lacks these features, indicating a different formation mechanism. Using established depth-diameter relationships for Martian impact craters, a 7 km-wide crater would typically be ~800 m deep. Jezero Mons’ summit depression ranges from 300–1000 m in depth, showing significant deviation from expected values. In contrast, Sedona crater’s measured depth aligns well with theoretical predictions, reinforcing the anomaly at Jezero Mons crater. Taken together, the topographic continuity, asymmetric morphology, and anomalous depth all argue against an impact origin. Instead, Jezero Mons aligns more closely with characteristics of a volcanic edifice constructed atop the southeastern rim of Jezero Crater. Future investigations should explore whether Jezero Mons contributed volcanic material to the crater’s interior and assess the possible interactions between the proposed paleolake and volcanic activity.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-411985

© Copyright 2025 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.