Tag Archives: core dynamo

Did big impacts turn off Mars’ dynamo?

Posted on June 19, 2014 by rburnham

Several giant impact basins on Mars have ages that suggest they formed at about the same time that the planet’s global magnetic field disappeared. Is it coincidence or is there a connection? While not claiming a direct causal connection, geophysicists … Continue reading →

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When did the Martian dynamo die?

Posted on November 7, 2012 by rburnham

Current thinking among Mars scientists holds that the Red Planet’s dynamo — the geo-engine in its molten core which generates a global magnetic field — was active soon after the planet formed, but turned off about 4 billion years ago. … Continue reading →

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What turned off the Martian magnetic field?

Posted on February 3, 2012 by rburnham

For roughly the first 500 to 800 million years of its existence, Mars had a magnetic field generated by a natural internal dynamo. This was powered by convection currents in the planet’s molten iron core, which operated vigorously as they … Continue reading →

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Did big impacts disrupt heat flow in the Martian mantle?

Posted on January 26, 2012 by rburnham

Mars shows more than 20 impact basins with diameters of at least 1,000 kilometers (600 miles), and five of these are 2,500 km wide or larger. Based on crater counts, most of the basins appear to have occurred between in … Continue reading →

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