Mars' Banded Magnetic Features: Constraints on Their Origin

The origin of the large-scale banded magnetic anomalies in the southern hemisphere of Mars has puzzled scientists for nearly 20 years. If the magnetization is confined to a 50-km thick layer, then the average intensity of the layer has a minimum boundary of 4.76 A/m. This average magnetic intensity for a 50-km block is more than an order of magnitude larger than observed on Earth. Some of the smaller magnetic anomalies observed on Mars appear to have been affected by transcurrent faulting, for example in the Valles Marineris area, and some magnetic evidence points to transform faulting in the Meridiani Planum area. Here we investigate recent magnetic observations from NASA's MAVEN satellite in an attempt to understand the vertical extent of the magnetized blocks, and any evidence of post-emplacement tectonism.