Abstract
The composition of basaltic melts in equilibrium with the mantle can be
determined for several Martian meteorites and in-situ rover analyses. We
use the melting model MAGMARS to reproduce these primary melts and
estimate the bulk composition and temperature of the mantle regions from
which they originated. We find that most mantle sources are depleted in
CaO and Al2O3 relative to models of the bulk silicate Mars and likely
represent melting residues or magma ocean cumulates. The concentrations
of Na2O, K2O, P2O5, and TiO2 are variable and often less depleted,
pointing to the re-fertilization of the sources by fluids and low-degree
melts, or the incorporation of residual trapped melts during the
crystallization of the magma ocean. The mantle potential temperatures of
the sources are 1400-1500 ºC, regardless of the time at which they
melted and within the range of the most recent predictions from
thermochemical evolution models.