Makeup of Mars

The red color of Mars suggests the presence of iron. Other elements in addition to silicon and oxygen are magnesium, aluminum, calcium, and potassium. Beneath a surface layer of fine dust, the main material is volcanic basalt. Even though the atmosphere is very thin, the surface dust is blown into major dune structures like those shown above at a location near the north pole of Mars.

The basaltic crust is mostly made up of the mafic silicate minerals olivine, pyroxene and plagioclase. The crust is thought to be one piece, 6 to 30 miles (10 to 50km) thick, with no evidence of plate tectonics. With little or no motion of the crust, the points of volcanic activity continue with successive eruptions building massive volcanos like Olympus Mons.

Mars is a differentiated planet like the Earth, with a solid core composed of iron and nickel surrounded by the less dense silicate crust. The iron core is relatively smaller than that of the Earth, and this fact along with the lack of plate tectonics results in the absence of a measurable planetary magnetic field for Mars.

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