The story of Mars started ages ago, when the planets that we see today were super-hot, dense radioactive masses that often crashed into one another. These masses melted, and the heavier elements in them sank to the core while the lighter ones floated. This process is called planetary differentiation. All planets, including Mars, and a few other dwarf planets and moons have undergone differentiation.
As a result, if we cut open Mars, we will find a dense core, a mantle and a thin crust, like that in the Earth. Latest research estimates that the core is molten and has a radius of around 1,810 to 1,860 kilometres. It is made up mainly of iron and nickel, and a considerable amount of sulphur, around 16 to 17 per cent. The concentration of lighter elements present in its core is said to be twice that of the Earth’s!
The next layer, called mantle, is lighter than the core and made up of silicate rock. On the Earth, the mantle sometimes melts at certain locations, and this is what causes earthquakes and eruption of volcanoes. But on Mars, it seems that such activity has not been happening for a long time. The outermost layer, or crust, of Mars is composed largely of silicon, oxygen, iron, magnesium, aluminium, calcium, and potassium.
Picture Credit : Google
