Long submarine lava flows: Observations and results from numerical modeling

Long (>100 km) lava flows are relatively common on Mars and Venus and have been identified on the Moon, but they are rarely documented on Earth. However, although ∼75% of the Earth's surface is covered by water, only a small percentage of the ocean floor has been investigated at a resolution sufficient to unequivocally identify the boundaries of long submarine lava flows. Even so, basaltic lava flows as long as 110 km have been identified on the deep (>1500 m) seafloor near Hawaii and the East Pacific Rise. Ambient conditions on the deep ocean floor may favor the development of long lava flows for the following reasons. First, high pressures (>15 MPa) keep volatiles dissolved in basaltic lavas, preventing viscosity increases associated with exsolution and vesiculation. Second, seawater rapidly quenches the surface of submarine basalt flows so that an insulating glass layer, 1-5 cm thick, encases submarine flows within seconds after their emplacement. This glass rind effectively insulates the molten flow interior from additional heat loss, making submarine basalt flows behave as well-insulated, subaerial tube-fed flows. Thus, for identical basalt flows emplaced on the deep seafloor and subaerially, a submarine flow could advance farther before stopping. Results of numerical modeling indicate that thin (≤1 m) submarine basalt flows behave similarly to identical subaerial flows, but thicker submarine flows may advance significantly farther than their subaerial counterparts.