IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TECTONIC HISTORY OF MARS

This study uses a meta-analytical approach to investigate the possible presence of subduction zones in Mars’ past. The low heat and high pressure conditions of subduction zones produce a unique suite of minerals that can be used in their identification. In particular, when olivine is subducted alongside water, the product is serpentine and brucite, an oxide mineral. Using processed spectral data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, we are able to identify the locations of serpentine and other associated minerals on the surface and utilize these as indicators of past active margins. In some areas on Mars, particularly the border in between the Isidis Basin and the Utopia Basin, these minerals corroborate geomorphologic evidence that suggests the presence of past subduction zones. The findings allow us to begin interpreting the geologic movement of Mars' lithosphere prior to the cooling of its interior.