Fractional Crystallization of a Martian Magma Ocean and Formation of a
Thermochemical Boundary Layer at the Base of the Mantle
Abstract
To characterize how moderately large impactors might alter the
differentiation and internal structure of Mars, we examine the
fractional crystallization of intermediate depth magma oceans, and
document that residual liquids ultimately become denser than normal
Martian mantle, establishing unstable density gradients and inducing
extensive magma descent within an evolving Mars. Fractional
crystallization of intermediate depth magma oceans on Mars is likely to
produce liquids that are dense enough to descend to the core-mantle
boundary (CMB) and thus form a stably stratified thermochemical boundary
layer at the Martian CMB. If this layer cooled sufficiently to
crystallize, its mineralogy would be dominated by garnet and
ferropericlase, or stishovite and ringwoodite, with changes in the
descending liquid’s bulk composition having relatively minor effects on
the resulting phase assemblage. While the size of Mars’ core remains
uncertain, the addition of such a thermal boundary layer would impede
the stabilization of (Mg, Fe)SiO3-perovskite at depth in Mars, although
it would contain modest amounts of CaSiO3-perovskite. Such a
compositionally distinct thermal boundary layer at the base of the
Martian mantle would substantially elevate the inferred temperature of
the Martian core, and also produce markedly lowered heat flow at the top
of its core, with a potentially causal relation with the current lack of
an internally generated Martian magnetic field. We calculate the seismic
velocity anomalies that would be expected to be associated with such a
layer, and find that the shift in mineralogy at depth should produce a
seismic discontinuity that could prospectively be detectable by Martian
seismic deployments.