Vector magnetometry to analyse the Caldereta volcano in the canary islands as a possible terrestrial analogue of mars

Abstract

Volcanoes are typical features of terrestrial planets' surfaces. Among the different geological processes which give rise to volcanoes, hydromagmatic eruptions are of particular importance for the search of extraterrestrial life since they require the presence of water.

Phreatomagmatic eruptions on Mars shall resemble those of the Earth. The possibility to perform magnetic surveys on Mars with magnetometers carried by helicopters opens a new scenario to gain more insights on such features. As a natural first step, gathering a database of terrestrial analogue magnetic signatures is desired, prior to magnetic surveys on the Martian surface. In this work we have selected the Caldereta volcano, a phreatomagmatic edifice in Lanzarote Island (Canary Islands), to perform a magnetic survey using on board drones magnetometry. The acquired data will allow to compare future measurements from other similar structures of the “Red Planet”. The survey casts vector magnetic field data generated by the volcanic edifice. Additionally, we suggest a simplified structure that mimics the geomorphology observed, we attribute a magnetization to such structure and develop a mathematical model that computes its sourced magnetic field. Finally, we develop synthetic models of a volcano on Mars which have been preliminarily classified as hydromagmatic taking Caldereta simulated structure as a reference.