Spectral evidence for weathered basalt as an alternative to andesite in the northern lowlands of Mars

Mineral abundances derived from the analysis of remotely sensed thermal emission data from Mars have been interpreted to indicate that the surface is composed of basalt (Surface Type 1) and andesite (Surface Type 2). The global distribution of these rock types is divided roughly along the planetary dichotomy which separates ancient, heavily cratered crust in the southern hemisphere (basalt) from younger lowland plains in the north (andesite). But the existence of such a large volume of andesite is difficult to reconcile with our present understanding of the geological evolution of Mars. Here we reinterpret martian surface rock lithologies using mineral abundances from previous work and new mineralogies derived from a spectral end-member set representing minerals common in unaltered and low-temperature aqueously altered basalts. Our results continue to indicate the dominance of unaltered basalt in the southern highlands, but reveal that the northern lowlands can be interpreted as weathered basalt as an alternative to andesite. The coincidence between locations of such altered basalt and a suggested northern ocean basin implies that lowland plains material may be composed of basalts weathered under submarine conditions or weathered basaltic sediments transported into this depocentre.     

The Borealis basin and the origin of the martian crustal dichotomy

The most prominent feature on the surface of Mars is the near-hemispheric dichotomy between the southern highlands and northern lowlands. The root of this dichotomy is a change in crustal thickness along an apparently irregular boundary, which can be traced around the planet, except where it is presumably buried beneath the Tharsis volcanic rise. The isostatic compensation of these distinct provinces and the ancient population of impact craters buried beneath the young lowlands surface suggest that the dichotomy is one of the most ancient features on the planet. However, the origin of this dichotomy has remained uncertain, with little evidence to distinguish between the suggested causes: a giant impact or mantle convection/overturn. Here we use the gravity and topography of Mars to constrain the location of the dichotomy boundary beneath Tharsis, taking advantage of the different modes of compensation for Tharsis and the dichotomy to separate their effects. We find that the dichotomy boundary along its entire path around the planet is accurately fitted by an ellipse measuring approximately 10,600 by 8,500 km, centred at 67 degrees N, 208 degrees E. We suggest that the elliptical nature of the crustal dichotomy is most simply explained by a giant impact, representing the largest such structure thus far identified in the Solar System.     

Hydrated silicate minerals on Mars observed by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter CRISM instrument

Phyllosilicates, a class of hydrous mineral first definitively identified on Mars by the OMEGA (Observatoire pour la Mineralogie, L'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activitié) instrument, preserve a record of the interaction of water with rocks on Mars. Global mapping showed that phyllosilicates are widespread but are apparently restricted to ancient terrains and a relatively narrow range of mineralogy (Fe/Mg and Al smectite clays). This was interpreted to indicate that phyllosilicate formation occurred during the Noachian (the earliest geological era of Mars), and that the conditions necessary for phyllosilicate formation (moderate to high pH and high water activity) were specific to surface environments during the earliest era of Mars's history. Here we report results from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) of phyllosilicate-rich regions. We expand the diversity of phyllosilicate mineralogy with the identification of kaolinite, chlorite and illite or muscovite, and a new class of hydrated silicate (hydrated silica). We observe diverse Fe/Mg-OH phyllosilicates and find that smectites such as nontronite and saponite are the most common, but chlorites are also present in some locations. Stratigraphic relationships in the Nili Fossae region show olivine-rich materials overlying phyllosilicate-bearing units, indicating the cessation of aqueous alteration before emplacement of the olivine-bearing unit. Hundreds of detections of Fe/Mg phyllosilicate in rims, ejecta and central peaks of craters in the southern highland Noachian cratered terrain indicate excavation of altered crust from depth. We also find phyllosilicate in sedimentary deposits clearly laid by water. These results point to a rich diversity of Noachian environments conducive to habitability.     

Implications of an impact origin for the martian hemispheric dichotomy

The observation that one hemisphere of Mars is lower and has a thinner crust than the other (the 'martian hemispheric dichotomy') has been a puzzle for 30 years. The dichotomy may have arisen as a result of internal mechanisms such as convection. Alternatively, it may have been caused by one or several giant impacts, but quantitative tests of the impact hypothesis have not been published. Here we use a high-resolution, two-dimensional, axially symmetric hydrocode to model vertical impacts over a range of parameters appropriate to early Mars. We propose that the impact model, in addition to excavating a crustal cavity of the correct size, explains two other observations. First, crustal disruption at the impact antipode is probably responsible for the observed antipodal decline in magnetic field strength. Second, the impact-generated melt forming the northern lowlands crust is predicted to derive from a deep, depleted mantle source. This prediction is consistent with characteristics of martian shergottite meteorites and suggests a dichotomy formation time approximately 100 Myr after martian accretion, comparable to that of the Moon-forming impact on Earth.     

Early geochemical environment of Mars as determined from thermodynamics of phyllosilicates

Images of geomorphological features that seem to have been produced by the action of liquid water have been considered evidence for wet surface conditions on early Mars. Moreover, the recent identification of large deposits of phyllosilicates, associated with the ancient Noachian terrains suggests long-timescale weathering of the primary basaltic crust by liquid water. It has been proposed that a greenhouse effect resulting from a carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere sustained the temperate climate required to maintain liquid water on the martian surface during the Noachian. The apparent absence of carbonates and the low escape rates of carbon dioxide, however, are indicative of an early martian atmosphere with low levels of carbon dioxide. Here we investigate the geochemical conditions prevailing on the surface of Mars during the Noachian period using calculations of the aqueous equilibria of phyllosilicates. Our results show that Fe3+-rich phyllosilicates probably precipitated under weakly acidic to alkaline pH, an environment different from that of the following period, which was dominated by strongly acid weathering that led to the sulphate deposits identified on Mars. Thermodynamic calculations demonstrate that the oxidation state of the martian surface was already high, supporting early escape of hydrogen. Finally, equilibrium with carbonates implies that phyllosilicate precipitation occurs preferentially at a very low partial pressure of carbon dioxide. We suggest that the possible absence of Noachian carbonates more probably resulted from low levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, rather than primary acidic conditions. Other greenhouse gases may therefore have played a part in sustaining a warm and wet climate on the early Mars.     

Lithospheric thermal-rheological structures of the continental margin in the northern South China Sea

Thermal structures of three deep seismic profiles in the continental margin in the northern South China Sea are calculated, their "thermal" lithospheric thicknesses are evaluated based on the basalt dry solidus, and their rheological structures are evaluated with linear frictional failure criterion and power-law creep equation. "Thermal" lithosphere is about 90 km in thickness in shelf area, and thins toward the slope, lowers to 60-65 km in the lower slope, ocean crust and Xisha Trough. In the mid-west of the studied area, the lithospheric rheological structure in shelf area and Xisha Islands is of four layers: brittle, ductile, brittle and ductile. Because of uprising of heat mantle and thinning of crust and lithosphere in Xisha Trough, the bottom of the upper brittle layer is only buried at 16 km. In the eastern area, the bottom of the upper brittle layer in the north is buried at 20 km or so, while in lower slope and ocean crust, the rheological structure is of two layers of brittle and ductile, and crust and uppermost mantle form one whole brittle layer whose bottom is buried at 30-32 km. Analyses show that the characteristics of rheological structure accord with the seismic result observed. The character of rheological stratification implies that before the extension of the continent margin, there likely was a ductile layer in mid-lower crust. The influence of the existence of ductile layer to the evolution of the continent margin and the different extensions of ductile layer and brittle layer should not be overlooked. Its thickness, depth and extent in influencing continent margin's extension and evolution should be well evaluated in building a dynamic model for the area.     

Mars' core and magnetism.

The detection of strongly magnetized ancient crust on Mars is one of the most surprising outcomes of recent Mars exploration, and provides important insight about the history and nature of the martian core. The iron-rich core probably formed during the hot accretion of Mars approximately 4.5 billion years ago and subsequently cooled at a rate dictated by the overlying mantle. A core dynamo operated much like Earth's current dynamo, but was probably limited in duration to several hundred million years. The early demise of the dynamo could have arisen through a change in the cooling rate of the mantle, or even a switch in convective style that led to mantle heating. Presently, Mars probably has a liquid, conductive outer core and might have a solid inner core like Earth.     

Subsurface water and clay mineral formation during the early history of Mars

Clay minerals, recently discovered to be widespread in Mars's Noachian terrains, indicate long-duration interaction between water and rock over 3.7 billion years ago. Analysis of how they formed should indicate what environmental conditions prevailed on early Mars. If clays formed near the surface by weathering, as is common on Earth, their presence would indicate past surface conditions warmer and wetter than at present. However, available data instead indicate substantial Martian clay formation by hydrothermal groundwater circulation and a Noachian rock record dominated by evidence of subsurface waters. Cold, arid conditions with only transient surface water may have characterized Mars's surface for over 4 billion years, since the early-Noachian period, and the longest-duration aqueous, potentially habitable environments may have been in the subsurface.     

Forming the lunar farside highlands by accretion of a companion moon

The most striking geological feature of the Moon is the terrain and elevation dichotomy between the hemispheres: the nearside is low and flat, dominated by volcanic maria, whereas the farside is mountainous and deeply cratered. Associated with this geological dichotomy is a compositional and thermal variation, with the nearside Procellarum KREEP (potassium/rare-earth element/phosphorus) Terrane and environs interpreted as having thin, compositionally evolved crust in comparison with the massive feldspathic highlands. The lunar dichotomy may have been caused by internal effects (for example spatial variations in tidal heating, asymmetric convective processes or asymmetric crystallization of the magma ocean) or external effects (such as the event that formed the South Pole/Aitken basin or asymmetric cratering). Here we consider its origin as a late carapace added by the accretion of a companion moon. Companion moons are a common outcome of simulations of Moon formation from a protolunar disk resulting from a giant impact, and although most coplanar configurations are unstable, a ～1,200-km-diameter moon located at one of the Trojan points could be dynamically stable for tens of millions of years after the giant impact. Most of the Moon's magma ocean would solidify on this timescale, whereas the companion moon would evolve more quickly into a crust and a solid mantle derived from similar disk material, and would presumably have little or no core. Its likely fate would be to collide with the Moon at ～2-3?km?s(-1), well below the speed of sound in silicates. According to our simulations, a large moon/Moon size ratio (～0.3) and a subsonic impact velocity lead to an accretionary pile rather than a crater, contributing a hemispheric layer of extent and thickness consistent with the dimensions of the farside highlands and in agreement with the degree-two crustal thickness profile. The collision furthermore displaces the KREEP-rich layer to the opposite hemisphere, explaining the observed concentration.     

Mega-impact formation of the Mars hemispheric dichotomy

The Mars hemispheric dichotomy is expressed as a dramatic difference in elevation, crustal thickness and crater density between the southern highlands and northern lowlands (which cover approximately 42% of the surface). Despite the prominence of the dichotomy, its origin has remained enigmatic and models for its formation largely untested. Endogenic degree-1 convection models with north-south asymmetry are incomplete in that they are restricted to simulating only mantle dynamics and they neglect crustal evolution, whereas exogenic multiple impact events are statistically unlikely to concentrate in one hemisphere. A single mega-impact of the requisite size has not previously been modelled. However, it has been hypothesized that such an event could obliterate the evidence of its occurrence by completely covering the surface with melt or catastrophically disrupting the planet. Here we present a set of single-impact initial conditions by which a large impactor can produce features consistent with the observed dichotomy's crustal structure and persistence. Using three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations, large variations are predicted in post-impact states depending on impact energy, velocity and, importantly, impact angle, with trends more pronounced or unseen in commonly studied smaller impacts. For impact energies of approximately (3-6) x 10(29) J, at low impact velocities (6-10 km s(-1)) and oblique impact angles (30-60 degrees ), the resulting crustal removal boundary is similar in size and ellipticity to the observed characteristics of the lowlands basin. Under these conditions, the melt distribution is largely contained within the area of impact and thus does not erase the evidence of the impact's occurrence. The antiquity of the dichotomy is consistent with the contemporaneous presence of impactors of diameter 1,600-2,700 km in Mars-crossing orbits, and the impact angle is consistent with the expected distribution.     

山东地区地壳及上地幔结构研究

利用布设在山东省境内的宽频带流动地震观测台阵和国家地震局固定地震观测台站记录的地震数据, 应用接收函数和SKS波分裂方法, 研究山东地区的地壳与上地幔结构, 得到该区域的地壳厚度、地壳平均P波与S波的波速比以及SKS波分裂延迟的分布情况。结果表明, 山东地区地壳厚度范围为28~39 km; 胶南隆起的北段和南段以及鲁西隆起北侧济阳凹陷的地壳厚度小于32 km, 鲁西隆起下方的地壳比较厚。研究区 P波与S波的波速比主要分布在1.67~1.94之间, 鲁西隆起西南部和胶南隆起北段该比值小于1.75, 可能是由中上地壳增厚以及下地壳减薄和拆沉造成。鲁西隆起南北P波与S波的波速比差异反映地壳活动的差异。地幔物质的各向异性显示, 山东地区西部的地壳减薄和拆沉可能仍在进行。     

Velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle in the boundary area of the Tianshan Mountains and the Tarim Basin

A portable 3-component broadband digital seismic array was deployed across the Tianshan orogenic belt (TOB) to investigate the lithospheric structure. Based on receiver function analysis of the teleseismic P-wave data, a 2-D S-wave velocity profile of the boundary area of the TOB and the Tarim Basin was obtained at the depths of 0--80 km.Our results reveal a vertical and lateral inhomogeneity in the crust and uppermost mantle. Four velocity interfaces divide the crystalline crust into the upper, middle and lower crust. A low velocity zone is widely observed in the upper-middle crust. The depth of Moho varies between 42 and 52 km. At the north end of the profile the Moho dips northward with a vertical offset of 4--6 km, which implies a subduction front of the Tarim Basin into the TOB. The Moho generally appears as a velocity transitional zone except beneath two stations in the northern Tarim Basin, where the Moho is characterized by a typical velocity discontinuity. The fine velocity structure and the deep contact deformation of the crust and upper most mantle delineate the north-south lithospheric shortening and thickening in the boundary area of the TOB and the Tarim Basin, which would be helpful to constructing the geodynamical model of the intracontinental mountain-basin-coupling system.     

Contrasting origins of the upper mantle revealed by hafnium and lead isotopes from the Southeast Indian Ridge

The origin of the isotopic signature of Indian mid-ocean ridge basalts has remained enigmatic, because the geochemical composition of these basalts is consistent either with pollution from recycled, ancient altered oceanic crust and sediments, or with ancient continental crust or lithosphere. The radiogenic isotopic signature may therefore be the result of contamination of the upper mantle by plumes containing recycled altered ancient oceanic crust and sediments, detachment and dispersal of continental material into the shallow mantle during rifting and breakup of Gondwana, or contamination of the upper mantle by ancient subduction processes. The identification of a process operating on a scale large enough to affect major portions of the Indian mid-ocean ridge basalt source region has been a long-standing problem. Here we present hafnium and lead isotope data from across the Indian-Pacific mantle boundary at the Australian-Antarctic discordance region of the Southeast Indian Ridge, which demonstrate that the Pacific and Indian upper mantle basalt source domains were each affected by different mechanisms. We infer that the Indian upper-mantle isotope signature in this region is affected mainly by lower continental crust entrained during Gondwana rifting, whereas the isotope signature of the Pacific upper mantle is influenced predominantly by ocean floor subduction-related processes.     

The crust and mantle of Mars.

Clues to the history of Mars are recorded in the chemistry and structure of the planet's crust and mantle. The mantle is the rocky, interior region of the planet that transports heat generated during accretion and subsequent core formation. The crust formed by melting of the upper mantle, and has been shaped and re-distributed by impact, volcanism, mantle flow and erosion. Observations point to a dynamically active interior in the early phases of martian history, followed by a rapid fall-off in heat transport that significantly influenced the geological, geophysical and geochemical evolution of the planet, including the history of water and climate.     

Phyllosilicates on Mars and implications for early martian climate

The recent identification of large deposits of sulphates by remote sensing and in situ observations has been considered evidence of the past presence of liquid water on Mars. Here we report the unambiguous detection of diverse phyllosilicates, a family of aqueous alteration products, on the basis of observations by the OMEGA imaging spectrometer on board the Mars Express spacecraft. These minerals are mainly associated with Noachian outcrops, which is consistent with an early active hydrological system, sustaining the long-term contact of igneous minerals with liquid water. We infer that the two main families of hydrated alteration products detected-phyllosilicates and sulphates--result from different formation processes. These occurred during two distinct climatic episodes: an early Noachian Mars, resulting in the formation of hydrated silicates, followed by a more acidic environment, in which sulphates formed.     

Deep structure at northern margin of Tarim Basin

In this paper, a 2D velocity structure of the crust and the upper mantle of the northern margin of the Tarim Basin （TB） has been obtained by ray tracing and theoretical seismogram calculation under the condition of 2D lateral inhomogeneous medium using the data of seismic wide angle reflection/refraction profile from Baicheng to Da Qaidam crossing the Kuqa Depression （KD） and Tabei Uplift （TU）. And along the Baicheng to Da Qaidam profile, 4 of the 10 shot points are located in the northern margin of the TB. The results show that the character of the crust is uniform on the whole between the KD and TU, but the depth of the layers, thickness of the crust and the velocity obviously vary along the profile. Thereinto, the variation of the crust thickness mainly occurs in the middle and lower crust. The Moho has an uplifting trend near the Baicheng shot point in KD and Luntai shot point in TU, and the thickness of the crust reduces to 42 km and 47 km in these two areas, respectively. The transition zone between the KD and TU has a thickest crust, up to 52 km. In this transition zone, there are high velocity anoma- lies in the upper crust, and low velocity anomalies in the lower crust, these velocity anomalies zone is near vertical, and the sediment above them is thicker than the other areas. According to the velocity distributions, the profile can be divided into three sections： KD, TU and transition zone between them. Each section has a special velocity structural feature, the form of the crystalline basement and the relationship between the deep structure and the shallow one. The differences of velocity and tectonic between eastern and western profile in the northern margin of the Tarim Basin （NMTB） may suggest different speed and intensity of the subduction from the Tarim basin to the Tianshan orogenic belt （TOB）.     

Contrasting crustal production and rapid mantle transitions beneath back-arc ridges

The opening of back-arc basins behind subduction zones progresses from initial rifting near the volcanic arc to seafloor spreading. During this process, the spreading ridge and the volcanic arc separate and lavas erupted at the ridge are predicted to evolve away from being heavily subduction influenced (with high volatile contents derived from the subducting plate). Current models predict gradational, rather than abrupt, changes in the crust formed along the ridge as the inferred broad melting region beneath it migrates away from heavily subduction-influenced mantle. In contrast, here we show that across-strike and along-strike changes in crustal properties at the Eastern Lau spreading centre are large and abrupt, implying correspondingly large discontinuities in the nature of the mantle supplying melt to the ridge axes. With incremental separation of the ridge axis from the volcanic front of as little as 5?km, seafloor morphology changes from shallower complex volcanic landforms to deeper flat sea floor dominated by linear abyssal hills, upper crustal seismic velocities abruptly increase by over 20%, and gravity anomalies and isostasy indicate crustal thinning of more than 1.9?km. We infer that the abrupt changes in crustal properties reflect rapid evolution of the mantle entrained by the ridge, such that stable, broad triangular upwelling regions, as inferred for mid-ocean ridges, cannot form near the mantle wedge corner. Instead, the observations imply a dynamic process in which the ridge upwelling zone preferentially captures water-rich low-viscosity mantle when it is near the arc. As the ridge moves away from the arc, a tipping point is reached at which that material is rapidly released from the upwelling zone, resulting in rapid changes in the character of the crust formed at the ridge.     

Crustal structure of the southeastern margin of the Ordos Block

We use a profile made up of teleseismic receiver functions to study the crustal thickness and structure of the southeastern margin of the Ordos Block.The Mohorovii discontinuity(Moho) has been identified beneath all stations.Its depth gradually decreases towards the southeast,from about 43 km in the Ordos Block to ~30 km near the northern margin of the Qinling Orogen.Our results show clear lateral variations in the structure of the crust and the features of the Moho.Accordingly,the study region can be divided into four parts:(1) Beneath the Ordos Block,the Moho is visible and flat at a depth of ~40 km.The crustal structure is best characterized by stable cratonic crust.(2) In the Weihe-Shanxi Graben,the Moho is uplifted by about 3 km,which may be the result of upwelling of upper mantle materials.(3) Under the Xionger-Funiu Mountains,the Moho is flat at a depth between 36 and 33 km,but becomes shallower towards the southeast.(4) In the Hehuai Basin,adjacent to the northern margin of the Qinling Orogen,the Moho shows strong lateral variations with a mean depth of ~31 km.The crustal structure here is complex,which may indicate a complicated tectonic environment.Additionally,the Moho is clearly interrupted at two locations(beneath stations st11 and st18) near major tectonic boundaries.These results suggest that the structure of the deep crust along the southeastern margin of the Ordos Block has great lateral variability,which strongly affects the complex geological features on the surface.Furthermore,these results can help us understand the interrelationships of different parts of the southeastern margin of the Ordos Block.     

Fine three-dimensional P-wave velocity structure beneath the capital region and deep environment for the nucleation of strong earthquakes

A detailed 3-D P-wave velocity model of the crust and uppermost mantle under the capitol region is determined with a spatial resolution of 25 km in the horizontal direction and 4-17 km in depth. We used 48750 precise P-wave arrival time data from 2973 events of local crustal earthquakes, controlled seismic explosions and quarry blasts. These events were recorded by 123 seismic stations. The data are analyzed by using a 3-D seismic tomography method. Our tomographic model provides new information on the geological structure and complex seismotectonics of this region. Different patterns of velocity structures show up in the North China Basin, the Taihangshan and the Yanshan Mountainous areas. The velocity images of the upper crust reflect well the surface geological, topographic and lithological features. In the North China Basin, the depression and uplift areas are imaged as slow and fast velocity belts, respectively, which are oriented in NE-SW direction. The trend of velocity anomalies is the same as that of major structure and tectonics. Paleozoic strata and Pre-Cambrian basement rocks outcrop widely in the Taihangshan and Yanshan uplift areas, which exhibit strong and broad high-velocity anomalies in our tomographic images, while the Quaternary intermountain basins show up as small low-velocity anomalies. Most of large earthquakes, such as the 1976 Tangshan earthquake (M 7.8) and the 1679 Sanhe earthquake (M 8.0), generally occurred in high-velocity areas in the upper to middle crust. However, in the lower crust to the uppermost mantle under the source zones of the large earthquakes, low-velocity and high-conductivity anomalies exist, which are considered to be associated with fluids, just like the 1995 Kobe earthquake (M 7.2) and the 2001 Indian Bhuj earthquake (M 7.8). The fluids in the lower crust may cause the weakening of the seismogenic layer in the upper and middle crust and thus contribute to the initiation of the large crustal earthquakes.     

Process and mechanism of mountain-root removal of the Dabie Orogen—Constraints from geochronology and geochemistry of post-collisional igneous rocks

Systematical studies of post-collisional igneous rocks in the Dabie orogen suggest that the thickened mafic lower crust of the oro- gen was partially melted to form low-Mg# adakitic rocks at 143-131 Ma. Delamination and foundering of the thickened mafic lower crust occurred at 130 Ma, which caused the mantle upwelling and following mafic and granitic magmatic intrusions. Mig- matite in the North Dabie zone, coeval with the formation of low-Mg# adakitic intrusions in the Dabie orogen, was formed by partial melting of exhumed ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks at middle crustal level. This paper argues that the partial melting of thickened lower and middle crust before mountain-root collapse needs lithospheric thinning. Based on the geothermal gradient of 6.6~C/km for lithospheric mantle and initial partial melting temperature of ~1000~C for the lower mafic crust, it can be estimated that the thickness of lithospheric mantle beneath thickened lower crust has been thinned to 〈45 km when the thickened lower crust was melting. Thus, a two-stage model for mountain-root removal is proposed. First, the lithospheric mantle keel was partially removal by mantle convection at 145 Ma. Loss of the lower lithosphere would increase heat flow into the base of the crust and would cause middle-lower crustal melting. Second, partial melting of the thickened lower crust has weakened the lower crust and increased its gravity instability, thus triggering delamination and foundering of the thickened mafic lower crust or mountain-root collapse. Therefore, convective removal and delamination of the thickened lower crust as two mechanisms of lithospheric thin- ning are related to causality.