RT Journal Article
T1 The very early thermal state of Terra Cimmeria: Implications for magneticcarriers in the crust of Mars
A1 Ruiz Pérez, Javier
AB Large areas of strongly magnetized crust are located in Terra Cimmeria and Terra Sirenum, in the southernhighlands of Mars, the older terrains on the planet. The typical depth to the base of the magnetizedlayer, deduced from the magnetic spectrum of Mars and modeling of isolated magnetic anomalies, would40–60 km. In this paper the thermal state of Terra Cimmeria is revisited by calculating heat flows andcrustal geotherms consistent with a previous estimation of the effective elastic thickness of the lithosphere,and with crustal abundances of heat-producing elements based on surface measurements performedby the Mars Odyssey Gamma Ray Spectrometer. The results suggest that, at the time offormation of the magnetized terrains surface (which have a minimum age of 4.1 Ga), Curie depths formagnetite and hematite were shallower and similar, respectively, than the typical depth to the base ofthe magnetized layer. This implies that hematite is an important (if not dominant) contributor to themagnetization of the martian crust. However, an early warm climate would enhance the chance of magnetiteto be a significant, even dominant, magnetization carrier in the lower portion of the magnetic layer.
PB Rosen Pub. Group
SN 1054-1381
YR 2009
FD 2009
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/49352
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/49352
LA spa
DS Docta Complutense
RD 7 abr 2025