Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Dec 1999
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999baas...31.1584l&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS Meeting #31, late abstracts, #59.08; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 31,
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
The MAG/ER experiment onboard the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft revealed large (> 1500 nT at spacecraft altitude) magnetic anomalies originating in the Martian crust. The global distribution of these anomalies is not uniform, but they are concentrated in an approximately 60 degrees wide band aligned with the dichotomy boundary, and almost exclusively confined to the ancient highland crust. Furthermore, a magnetic stripe pattern of alternating sign was detected which has led several scientists to speculate about early plate tectonic motion on Mars. Here, we present global models of the Martian crustal magnetic field, constructed with multiple-layer blocks of 0.25o x 0.25o x 5 km dimension. Classification of individual blocks is based on constraints from geology and topography, with the global dichotomy as the most distinct feature. The magnetic effect of each block has been approximated by a single dipole in the middle of the block, pointing in the direction of field lines generated by a dipole in the centre of Mars and representing magnetizations of some tens of A/m (at least one order of magnitude larger than for terrestrial basalts). The magnetic field of these global models has been calculated for an altitude of 130 km, appropriate for a comparison with the MAG/ER observations. The results for a simple global dichotomy model are generally in good agreement with the observed band of magnetic anomalies aligned with the dichotomy boundary. Preliminary results for a more detailed model show that stripe-like patterns may be common features of the Martian crustal field which are not necessarily connected to plate tectonics.
Leweling Martin
Spohn Tilman
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