Crustal heat production and the thermal evolution of Mars

Details Crustal heat production and the thermal evolution of Mars Crustal heat production and the thermal evolution of Mars

Nov 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001georl..28.4019m&link_type=abstract

Geophysical Research Letters, Volume 28, Issue 21, p. 4019-4022

Physics

35

Planetology: Solid Surface Planets: Composition, Planetology: Solid Surface Planets: Origin And Evolution, Planetology: Solar System Objects: Mars, Planetology: Solar System Objects: Meteorites And Tektites

Scientific paper

The chemical composition of soils and rocks from the Pathfinder site and Phobos-2 orbital gamma-ray spectroscopy indicate that the Martian crust has a bulk composition equivalent to large-ion lithophile (LIL) and heat-producing element (K, Th, U) enriched basalt, with a potassium content of about 0.5%. A variety of radiogenic isotope data also suggest that separation of LIL-enriched crust and depleted mantle reservoirs took place very early in Martian history (>4.0 Ga). Accordingly, if the enriched Martian crust is >=30 km thick it is likely that a large fraction (up to at least 50%) of the heat-producing elements in Mars was transferred into the crust very early in the planet's history. This would greatly diminish the possibility of early widespread melting of the Martian mantle.

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