Timing of Martian Core Formation from Models of Hf-W Evolution Coupled with N-body Simulations.

ABSTRACT: Determining how and when Mars formed has been a long-standing challenge for planetary scientists. The size and orbit of Mars are difficult to reproduce in classical simulations of planetary accretion, and this has inspired models of inner solar system evolution that are tuned to produce Mars-like planets. However, such models are not always coupled to geochemical constraints. Analyses of Martian meteorites using the extinct hafnium-tungsten (Hf-W) radioisotopic system, which is sensitive to the timing of core formation, have indicated that the Martian core formed within a few million years of the start of the solar system itself. This has been interpreted to suggest that, unlike Earth's protracted accretion, Mars grew to its modern size very rapidly. These arguments, however, generally rel

SUBMITTER: Brennan MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8637548 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature