High-Fe, low-Al basalts: evidence of extensive mantle processing on Earth, Moon, Mars, Vesta, Venus, and Io

Abstract

Ferropicrite basalts – basalts with relatively high-Fe and low-Al contents compared to ‘normal' basalts – are a minor but widespread component of magmatism on Earth. We have investigated how widespread high-Fe, low-Al compositions (similar to ferropicrites) are on other terrestrial planetary bodies and suggest that these basalts formed through similar processes