Theories of Mars' Interior: An alternative to plumes as the origin of Tharsis

Details Theories of Mars' Interior: An alternative to plumes as the origin of Tharsis Theories of Mars' Interior: An alternative to plumes as the origin of Tharsis

Dec 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003agufm.s12f..05s&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2003, abstract #S12F-05

Physics

5430 Interiors (8147), 5455 Origin And Evolution, 8121 Dynamics, Convection Currents And Mantle Plumes, 8450 Planetary Volcanism (5480)

Scientific paper

Mars' large-scale physiography is dominated by a hemispheric dichotomy (thin northern crust with low, smooth topography vs. thick southern crust with high, rugged topography) and by the Tharsis rise (an enormous volcanic plateau), both of which developed within the first ~1 Gyr of Martian history. Using a 3-D spherical mantle convection model with temperature-dependent viscosity, we explore the effect of hemispheric-scale crustal thickness variations on Martian mantle convection. Thickened crust in the "southern" hemisphere of the model causes insulation of that hemisphere which may effect the underlying mantle circulation. This leads to a transient, regional-scale partial melting event sufficient to generate the Tharsis rise during the first ~0.5-1.0 billion years following the formation of the crustal dichotomy. Our model avoids some problems of timing inherent in plume models, provides testable hypotheses regarding the history of Martian volcanism, and suggests a causal link between the formation of the N-S dichotomy and Tharsis.

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