Effusive silicate volcanism: Observations and processes

This chapter discusses the nature of effusive silicate volcanism in the Solar System. We review the physical and chemical nature of silicate magmas, with a focus on mafic (basalt) magmas, including their compositions as measured from terrestrial flows, lunar samples, and meteorites. We then review the morphologies of silicate volcanic features, including lava flows, shield volcanoes, and lava channels, and their variation on Mercury, Venus, Earth, the Moon, Mars, and Io. We then discuss the role of volcanic outgassing from effusive eruptions, followed by a discussion of the nature and formation of calderas and extensional volcanic landscapes. We conclude the chapter with a discussion of volcanic stability.