Coupled 142Nd–143Nd evidence for a protracted magma ocean in Mars

V. Debaille (), A. D. Brandon, Q. Z. Yin and B. Jacobsen
Additional contact information
V. Debaille: Lunar and Planetary Institute, 3600 Bay Area Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77058, USA
A. D. Brandon: NASA Johnson Space Center, Mail Code KR, Houston, Texas 77058, USA
Q. Z. Yin: University of California Davis, One Shield Avenue, Davis, California 95616, USA
B. Jacobsen: University of California Davis, One Shield Avenue, Davis, California 95616, USA

Nature, 2007, vol. 450, issue 7169, 525-528

Abstract: Abstract Resolving early silicate differentiation timescales is crucial for understanding the chemical evolution and thermal histories of terrestrial planets1. Planetary-scale magma oceans are thought to have formed during early stages of differentiation, but the longevity of such magma oceans is poorly constrained. In Mars, the absence of vigorous convection and plate tectonics has limited the scale of compositional mixing within its interior2, thus preserving the early stages of planetary differentiation. The SNC (Shergotty–Nakhla–Chassigny) meteorites from Mars retain ‘memory’ of these events3,4,5. Here we apply the short-lived 146Sm–142Nd and the long-lived 147Sm–143Nd chronometers to a suite of shergottites to unravel the history of early silicate differentiation in Mars. Our data are best explained by progressive crystallization of a magma ocean with a duration of ∼100 million years after core formation. This prolonged solidification requires the existence of a primitive thick atmosphere on Mars that reduces the cooling rate of the interior6.

Date: 2007
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DOI: 10.1038/nature06317

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