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Updated: Oct 22, 2025
06:04
Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory
Published on: November 15, 2013
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Upper mantle structure of Mars from InSight seismic data.
Amir Khan1,2, Savas Ceylan3, Martin van Driel3,4
1Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland. akhan@ethz.ch.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|August 26, 2021
Summary
Mars
Area of Science:
- Seismology
- Planetary Science
- Geophysics
Background:
- The InSight lander has collected seismic data on Mars for two years.
- Understanding Mars's interior structure and thermochemical state is crucial for planetary science.
Purpose of the Study:
- To constrain the interior structure of Mars down to 800 kilometers using seismic data.
- To investigate the thermal lithosphere and heat production in the Martian crust.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of direct (P and S) and surface-reflected (PP, PPP, SS, SSS) body-wave phases from eight marsquakes.
- Integration of seismic constraints with geodynamic models.
Main Results:
- Identified a low-velocity zone suggesting a significantly thicker Martian thermal lithosphere compared to Earth.
- Observed a weak S-wave shadow zone at teleseismic distances.
- Predicted Martian crust enrichment in heat-producing elements (13-20 times primitive mantle).
Conclusions:
- Mars's interior structure is characterized by a thick, cooler lithosphere.
- The Martian crust is highly enriched in heat-producing elements, exceeding previous estimates.
- This enrichment contributes to a moderate-to-elevated surface heat flow on Mars.
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