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Supereruptions in Northwestern Arabia Terra reveal an early stage of Mars's mantle evolution
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  • Augustus Bates,
  • Sander Goossens,
  • Juan Manuel Lorenzo,
  • Lujendra Ojha,
  • Don R Hood,
  • Suniti Kumara Karunatillake,
  • Shannon Kobs Nawotniak,
  • Tyler Paladino
Augustus Bates
Louisiana State University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Sander Goossens
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
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Juan Manuel Lorenzo
Louisana State University
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Lujendra Ojha
Rutgers University
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Don R Hood
Louisiana State University
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Suniti Kumara Karunatillake
Louisiana State University
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Shannon Kobs Nawotniak
Idaho State University
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Tyler Paladino
Idaho State University
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Abstract

Martian meteoritic petrology and regional chemistry of Hesperian-Amazonian volcanism support secularly decreasing degrees of partial melting and thickening crust underlain by simple mantle convection. However, the applicability of this interior evolution model and resurfacing trends to the Noachian remains unknown. Using regional gamma spectroscopy and geophysical analysis, we find that supereruptions characterized Noachian volcanism in NW Arabia with co-enriched K, Th, and Si. Geophysical analysis reveals elastic thickness values below 20 km, indicating a heat flux exceeding many Hesperian volcanoes. Collectively, our results support large ion lithophile loss from low degrees of partial melting of the Noachian mantle, signifying an early stage of interior evolution that contrasts with the Hesperian-Amazonian model. Regional chemistry further suggests climate-altering supereruptive exhalations of ~109 kg S-phases.