Crustal heat production and the thermal evolution of Mars

The chemical composition of soils and rocks from the Pathfinder site and Phobos-2 orbital gamma-ray spectroscopy indicate that the Martian crust has a bulk composition equivalent to large-ion lithophile (LIL) and heat-producing element (K, Th, U) enriched basalt, with a potassium content of about 0.5%. A variety of radiogenic isotope data also suggest that separation of LIL-enriched crust and depleted mantle reservoirs took place very early in Martian history (>4.0 Ga). Accordingly, if the enriched Martian crust is greater than or equal to 30 km thick it is likely that a large fraction (up to at least 50% of the heat-producing elements in Mars was transferred into the crust very early in the planet's history. This would greatly diminish the possibility of early widespread melting of the Martian mantle.