Insight into the Geophysical Evolution of Mars from Remote Sensing
Lujendra Ojha

Abstract:

All rocky planets have an interior structure consisting of a crust, mantle, and core. However, the four rocky planets of our solar system have clearly evolved very differently. The thermal and chemical evolution of a planet depends on the internal heat production and the dynamics of the planet’s mantle through which heat is transported by thermal convection. The balance between heat production rate and cooling rate of a planet regulates the thermal evolution of a planet, affects geologic processes, and plays an important role in the distribution of volatiles. In this talk, I will use Mars as a natural laboratory to show how mantle convection, volcanism, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and life are all interconnected. Lessons learned from this work may not only help us understand the evolution of terrestrial planets in our solar system, but also to better understand the evolution of rocky planets elsewhere in the universe.