PETRA III Science Seminar | The use of high-pressure and temperature experiments to understand the composition of the Martian core.

by Dan Frost (University of Bayreuth)

Tuesday 30 May 2023, 14:15 → 15:00 Europe/Berlin

Online

Recent measurements of the size of the Martian core from the InSight lander imply that the iron-rich core of Mars is larger than previously considered and must, therefore, contain a very significant complement of light elements. The nature and concentration of these light elements can in principle reveal information on the conditions under which such protoplanets were formed and their bulk compositions. High-pressure and temperature experiments are not only critical for deriving the relationship between the size and the chemical composition of the Martian core but can also provide essential information linking the core composition to the formation processes of such planetary embryos.