The GeoLife expedition to the planetary analog of Lanzarote (Canary Islands, Spain) and the magnetic signature of lava tubes

Drs. Yasmina M Martos and Juan Martin de Blas
Associate Research Scientist and Postdoctoral Research Associate 
Planetary Magnetospheres Lab
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
University of Maryland College Park

Wed, March 26, 2025 - 4:00 PM
In Hannan 108 (Auditorium)

The island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands is recognized as a key terrestrial analog for planetary science due to its unique geological and environmental features. In May 2023, NASA Goddard conducted the GeoLife field expedition to Lanzarote to study planetary geochemistry, geophysics, and astrobiology. Particularly, this island hosts numerous lava tubes, including the 7.6-km-long La Corona tube, one of Earth’s largest. Detecting lava tubes and other subsurface cavities is crucial for planetary exploration, as they may serve as potential safe shelters in future planetary missions. To evaluate the tubes’ detectability, the Planetary Magnetospheres Team gathered magnetic data, including scalar and fluxgate magnetometer measurements as well as magnetic susceptibility data to study three lava tubes of different morphometry, age, and geological features.

This talk will provide an overview of the GeoLife expedition, with a focus on the interpretation of the fluxgate magnetometer measurements. Our results evidence significant magnetic anomaly lows aligned with the lava tubes axes, demonstrating the feasibility of using magnetic field data to identify these structures. In addition, this research supports the potential future application of this technique to characterize caves in other planetary bodies, particularly the Moon and Mars.

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