Martian lava tube would also reduce the landed payload mass for manned missions which would be economically advantageous. Martian lava tube Martian lava tubes are natural sub-surface lava tube caverns on Mars that are believed to form as a result of fast-moving, basaltic lava flows associated with shield volcanism. Lava tubes usually form when the external surface of the lava channels cools more quickly and forms a hardened crust over subsurface lava flows. The flow eventually ceases and drains out of the tube, leaving a conduit-shaped void space which is usually several meters below the surface. Lava tubes are typically associated with extremely
Lava bench Lava bench A lava bench is a volcanic landform with a horizontal surface raised above the level of the surrounding area. They are created when molten lava travels away from a volcanic vent and expands an old shoreline. This is the process that creates new land in the ocean that life can eventually grow on. The Hawaiian islands are an example of land that was formed this way, and the Big Island is currently still expanding due to lava benches. The Kilauea Volcano releases lava that flows down the slope of the volcano and eventually encounters the ocean; this lava