Is the Martian lithosphere sulfur rich

Several models are proposed to explain the abundance of sulfurand chlorine-containing compounds in the Martian fines. Preliminary analyses attributed the S and Cl enrichment to the upward migration of soluble salt. Alternative possibilities are examined, including remnant primitive lithosphere, a primitive component in the regolith, and trapping of volcanic gases. The alternative models encompass various features of the accretion chemistry thermal history, and core size-mass relationships that have been proposed for Mars.