Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
May 2001
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001agusm...p32a09c&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2001, abstract #P32A-09
Mathematics
Logic
3630 Experimental Mineralogy And Petrology, 3672 Planetary Mineralogy And Petrology (5410), 6225 Mars, 8450 Planetary Volcanism (5480)
Scientific paper
Observations from Mars missions have revealed that Mars has had a very active igneous history covering its landscape with an ancient southern hemisphere heavily cratered with generally much higher terrains than the relatively smooth northern hemisphere which contains huge volcanic constructs. While volcanism on Mars has been thought to be primarily very old, recent evidence from the Mars Global Surveyor suggests that Mars may, in fact, still be volcanically active. The contribution of martian magma to the differentiation of the planet may continue today as the planet cools. An improved understanding of the unique geological history and evolution of Mars relies on the development of models of the interior and hypotheses about the planet's formation and evolution. This, in turn requires a knowledge of the physico-chemical properties of martian magmas. Of all the properties of interest, viscosity and molar volume are those that most tightly control the dynamics of melting and magmas. In addition, enthalpy, heat capacity and molar volume are those who contribute to the description of the magmatic phase relations at elevated pressure and temperature. Composition of the martian magma has been derived in various models from the composition of the SNC martian meteorites and it is generally accepted by planetary scientists that the composition of the martian magma exhibits an higher Fe-content than the Earth's one. More recently, NASA Pathfinder's small rover provided the first in situ analysis of martian rocks (Rieder et al., 1997). The analysed martian rocks are similar in composition to terrestrial andesites; The primary difference is their high Fe-content. This high iron content, in turn, very likely reflects a high Fe-content of the martian mantle relative to that of the Earth, as suggested by SNC meteorites-based estimations. Unfortunately, when we turn to the literature, in order to employ models for the calculation of martian magma properties, we discover that existing models for all of the properties of interest are insufficient in at least one important aspect. They are not calibrated for the high-iron contents inferred for martian magmas. Thus we are developing an experimental program to cope with this deficit by determining the physico-chemical properties of Fe-rich silicate melts relevant to Mars (in particular - viscosity, molar volume and heat capacity), from which the partial molar properties of both iron components (i.e., FeO and Fe2O3) will be derived. In dealing with such melts, complications stem from (1) the fact that the proportions of ferric and ferrous iron is a function of oxygen fugacity, composition and temperature and (2) its potential in both the oxidized and reduced states to be either tetrahedrally or octahedrally coordinated. As a consequence, iron in martian magmas presents a special challenge for determinations of martian magmatic properties.
Courtial Philippe
Dingwell Donald B.
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