AI Article Synopsis

  • Magma oceans in the early solar system influenced the evolution of planetary bodies and their atmospheres, particularly through varying redox conditions.
  • Research utilizing first-principles simulations indicates that the magma oceans of Earth, Mars, and the Moon had different oxygen fugacity profiles, with deeper layers leading to more oxidized conditions on the surface.
  • As a result, Earth's upper mantle became more oxidized than those of Mars and the Moon, affecting their early atmospheres, which were composed of different gas mixtures (CO and HO for Earth, HO and H for Mars, H and CO for the Moon).

Article Abstract

Magma oceans were once ubiquitous in the early solar system, setting up the initial conditions for different evolutionary paths of planetary bodies. In particular, the redox conditions of magma oceans may have profound influence on the redox state of subsequently formed mantles and the overlying atmospheres. The relevant redox buffering reactions, however, remain poorly constrained. Using first-principles simulations combined with thermodynamic modeling, we show that magma oceans of Earth, Mars, and the Moon are likely characterized with a vertical gradient in oxygen fugacity with deeper magma oceans invoking more oxidizing surface conditions. This redox zonation may be the major cause for the Earth's upper mantle being more oxidized than Mars' and the Moon's. These contrasting redox profiles also suggest that Earth's early atmosphere was dominated by CO and HO, in contrast to those enriched in HO and H for Mars, and H and CO for the Moon.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7181735PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15757-0DOI Listing

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