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Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms pp 1–5Cite as

Lava Polygon (Small)

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Definition

Surface polygonal joint patterns, predominantly found on lava lakes and some lava flows, due to the thermal cooling and contraction; joint spacing and size are related to the cooling rate of the lava.

Category

A type of patterned ground

A type of shrinkage crack polygon

Synonyms

Lava swales; Platy-ridged lava; Polygonal plates; Polygonal troughs; Turtlebacks

Description

Polygonal to sub-polygonal plates of fractured volcanic (lava) crust. Centers of polygons may be raised (convex-up).

Morphometry

Terrestrial lava polygons are tens of centimeters to several meters wide, with the central region having less than ~0.5 m higher relief than the margins (Carr and Greeley 1980; Keszthelyi et al. 2004) and often display an undulating surface expression (Keszthelyi et al. 2004).

Subtypes

Although not an official subtype, columnar basalts (Columnar Joint), when viewed from above, have a distinctive polygonal shape, though these features are more generally known for their elongated...

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References

  • Carr MH, Greeley R (1980) Volcanic features of Hawaii: a basis for comparison with Mars NASA SP-403. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC

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  • Greeley R, King JS (1977) Volcanism of the Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho. A comparative planetary geology guidebook. NASA, Washington, DC

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  • Hurwitz DM, Head JW, Wilson L, Hiesinger H (2012) Origin of lunar sinuous rilles: modeling effects of gravity, surface slope, and lava composition on erosion rates during the formation of Rima Prinz. J Geophys Res 117:E00H14. doi:10.1029/2011JE004000

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  • Keszthelyi L, McEwen AS, Thordarson T (2000) Terrestrial analogs and thermal models for Martian flood lavas. J Geophys Res 105(E6):15027–15049

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  • Keszthelyi L, Thordarson T, McEwen A, Haack H, Guilbaud M-N, Self S, Rossi MJ (2004) Icelandic analogs to Martian flood lavas. Geochem Geophys Geosyst 5(11):1–32, CiteID Q11014

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  • Leverington DW (2011) A volcanic origin for the outflow channels of mars: key evidence and major implications. Geomorphology 132:51–75

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  • Ryan AJ, Christensen PR (2012) Coils and polygonal crust in the Athabasca Valles Region, Mars, as evidence for a volcanic history. Science 336:449–452. doi:10.1126/science.121943

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  • Wright TL, Okamura RT (1977) Cooling and crystallization of tholeiitic basalt, 1965 Makaopuhi Lava Lake, Hawaii. USGS professional paper 1004

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Andrew J. Ryan

  2. USRA Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX, USA

    Amy Fagan

Authors
  1. Andrew J. Ryan
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  2. Amy Fagan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew J. Ryan .

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Cite this entry

Ryan, A.J., Fagan, A. (2014). Lava Polygon (Small). In: Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_473-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_473-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-9213-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

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