Recent Seismo-tectonic activity at Alba Patera Region on Mars

Whether Mars is tectonically active or not is poorly known. Thermo-mechanical models suggest that Mars may be seismically active with anomalous population of seismicity in the Tharsis region, which is the largest volcanic province on Mars. To understand the recent seismic and tectonic activities in the Tharsis region, we have undertaken a detailed geological mapping of young faults and boulder avalanches in and around Alba Patera region, using NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter CTX and HiRISE images. Alba Patera volcanic dome is cross-cut by hundreds of grabens oriented in N-S to NE-SW directions. Many young lava flows exhibit embayment relations with the grabens. Our analysis of 400 HiRISE images covering the grabens revealed occurrences of hundreds of boulder falls in 96 HiRISE images. The boulder falls preferentially occur on the graben walls with some occur in impact craters. The HiRISE images also revealed the presence of many fresh fault surfaces that are formed by reactivation of grabens. The Boulder falls are abundant along NE-SW trending radial graben/fracture systems in the eastern part of Alba Patera; some are found on western and southern parts of Alba Patera as well. Considering the wide spread wind and dust activity, glacial processes and recurrent slope lineae formation in the study area, only the young and recent boulder falls are preserved. We continue to analyse more number of HiRISE images for mapping the young faults and boulder falls in the entire Alba Patera region. Our preliminary observations suggest that Alba Patera region contains a few seismo-tectonically active areas. It suggests a possibility that marsquakes may currently occur in the Alba Patera region that may be detected by InSight seismometers.