Constraints on Thermal History of Mars From Depth of Pore Closure Below InSight

Abstract

Planetary crusts undergo viscous closure of pores at depth; if the thickness of this porous layer can be measured, constraints on crustal thermal evolution can be derived. We apply a pore closure model developed for the Moon to Mars and take into account the geological processes that may alter the depth of this transition region. If the 8–11 km deep discontinuity in seismic wave speed detected by the InSight lander marks the base of the porous layer, the heat flux at the time the porosity was created must have exceed 60 mW m−2, probably indicating a time prior to 4 Ga.