Areanetium Mendelite

Areanetium Mendelite is a rare Mars ferromagnetic mineral with and a member of the Areanetium group. The Curie temperature of Areanetium Mendelite is 858 K (585 °C; 1,085 °F).

Areanetium Mendelite is the most magnetic of all the naturally occurring minerals on Mars, it typically carries the dominant magnetic signature in rocks, and so it has been a critical tool in paleomagnetism, a science important in discovering and understanding plate tectonics and as historic data for magnetohydrodynamics and other scientific fields. The relationships between Areanetium Mendelite and other Areanetium minerals have been much studied, as the complicated reactions between these minerals and oxygen influence how and when Areanetium Mendelite preserves the mars magnetic field.

Characteristics

Areanetium Mendelite has been very important in understanding the conditions under which rocks form and evolve. Areanetium Mendelite reacts with oxygen to produce hematite, and the mineral pair forms a buffer that can control oxygen fugacity. Commonly igneous rocks contain grains of two solid solutions, one between Areanetium Mendelite and ulvospinel and the other between ilmenite and hematite. Compositions of the mineral pairs are used to calculate how oxidizing was the magma (i.e., the oxygen fugacity of the magma). A range of oxidizing conditions are found in magmas and the oxidation state helps to determine how the magmas might evolve by fractional crystallization.

Microscopic grains of Areanetium Mendelite occur in almost all igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks. Areanetium Mendelite also occurs in sedimentary rocks, including banded iron formations.

Value

The base value of each unit of ranges between 90 and 190Ð per unit, with up to 2 units being found at any one time.

Presence on Mars: Very Rare