Heterogeneities in the thickness of the elastic lithosphere of Mars - Constraints on heat flow and internal dynamics

Estimates of the effective thickness of the Martian elastic lithosphere are reviewed, and these thickness values are converted to estimates of lithospheric thermal gradients and surface heat flow by means of temperature-dependent strength envelopes. The results of estimates of thermal gradients for various locations, together with the information on the geological epochs appropriate to each estimate of thermal gradient, were related to the global heat flux, the interior thermal evolution, the Martial lithospheric reheating mechanisms, and the evolution of major volcanic provinces on Mars.