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The crust and mantle of Mars

Nature volume 412, pages 220–227 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

Clues to the history of Mars are recorded in the chemistry and structure of the planet's crust and mantle. The mantle is the rocky, interior region of the planet that transports heat generated during accretion and subsequent core formation. The crust formed by melting of the upper mantle, and has been shaped and re-distributed by impact, volcanism, mantle flow and erosion. Observations point to a dynamically active interior in the early phases of martian history, followed by a rapid fall-off in heat transport that significantly influenced the geological, geophysical and geochemical evolution of the planet, including the history of water and climate.

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Figure 1
Figure 2: The crustal thickness of Mars assuming a constant-density crust and mantle.
Figure 3: Mars Orbiter Camera image of layering in the western Tithonium Chasma/Ius Chasma region of the Valles Marineris, centred at 6.6° S, 269.6° E (ref. 64).
Figure 4: Shaded relief map centred on the north pole of Mars121.
Figure 5: Spherical projection of Mars' topography54 with 0° E longitude at front centre.
Figure 6: Convection calculation illustrating concentration of heat loss in one hemisphere of Mars.

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Acknowledgements

I thank G. Neumann and O. Aharonson for assistance with the crustal thickness inversion, H. McSween and W. Hartmann for providing material used in the figures, and J. Head, H. McSween and N. Sleep for helpful reviews. I also acknowledge helpful discussions with M. Parmentier, T. Grove, B. Weiss and members of the Mars Global Surveyor Laser Altimeter and Radio Science teams. This work was supported by the Mars Global Surveyor Project of the NASA Mars Exploration Program.

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  1. Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 02139-4307, Massachusetts, USA

    Maria T. Zuber

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Correspondence to Maria T. Zuber.

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Zuber, M. The crust and mantle of Mars. Nature 412, 220–227 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35084163

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