Geochemistry of Mars based on laboratory analyses of mars meteorites and in situ analyses from pathfinder

Using laboratory data on the composition of Mars meteorites, it was possible to make reliable estimates of the bulk composition of the Martian mantle and core. According to these estimates the Martian mantle contains, compared to the Earth's mantle, about twice as much FeO and also higher concentrations of moderately volatile and volatile elements. Also contrary to the case of the Earth's mantle - Mn, Cr, and especially P are not depleted in the Martian mantle. All chalcophile elements were found to be highly depleted in the mantle of Mars and a homogeneous accretion of Mars was inferred. The core mass of Mars was estimated to 21%, consisting of Fe and Ni and about 14%S. The APX-spectrometer on the rover Sojourner returned the first analyses of Martian rocks, which tamed out to be rich in silica and potassium, but low in Mg resembling terrestrial andesites. The Martian soil which was found to have almost identical composition on all three sites where analyses were carried out, i. e. Viking 1, Viking 2, and Pathfinder. The soil can be explained as mechanical mixtures of diminuated basalts, compositionally similar to the Martian meteorites, their weathering products, as well as the andesitic component similar to the Pathfinder rocks. The APX-spectrometer was not able to detect carbon above the detection limit of 0.5 wt%, corresponding to about 5% carbonate.