Martian Highlands Differentiation Concomitant to Dichotomy Formation
Valentin Bonnet Gibet,
Chloe Michaut,
Thomas Bodin
et al.
Abstract:The Martian surface composition appears mainly mafic but recent
observations have revealed the presence of differentiated rocks, only in
the Highlands. Here, we demonstrate that differentiated melts can form
during the construction of thick crustal regions on Mars by fractional
crystallisation of a mafic protolith, without plate tectonics. On a
stagnant-lid planet, regions of thicker crusts contain more
heat-producing elements and are associated to thinner lithospheres and
to higher mantle melt fractions. This… Show more
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