Yan, Chi ; Barik, Ankit ; Stanley, Sabine ; Plesa, Ana-Catalina ; Rivoldini, Attilio ; Mittelholz, Anna ; Johnson, Catherine

Invited talk presented at AGU 2023 San Fransisco on 2023-12-13

Abstract: The magnetic data returned by the Mars Global Surveyor revealed a hemispherical crustal magnetic field most likely implying Martian dynamo action in its early history. Theories for the origin of the hemispherical dichotomy vary, including hydrothermal events, shock demagnetization and hemispherical dynamo action. Recent seismic measurements from the NASA Mars InSight mission revealed that Mars’ core has a relatively low density, implying the absence of a solid inner core throughout Mars’ history. Here we perform full sphere dynamo simulations to investigate the potential effect of dynamo action in a full sphere geometry on the creation of a hemispherical magnetic field. We find full sphere dynamos produce magnetic fields that are more hemispheric than models with small inner cores, with the same heat flux perturbations at the core mantle boundary. These studies should provide insights to Mars’ material properties in the interior, thermal histories and core evolution.

Note: GP24A-04
Links: link
Funding: 3PRODPLANINT/3PRODPLANINT/3PRODPLANINT