Title

A magma ocean origin to divergent redox evolutions of rocky planetary bodies and early atmospheres

Authors

Jie Deng, Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA. jie.deng@aya.yale.edu.
Zhixue Du, State key Laboratory of Isotope Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 510640, Guangzhou, China. duzhixue@gig.ac.cn.
Bijaya B. Karki, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Geology and Geophysics, and Center for Computation and Technology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA.
Dipta B. Ghosh, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Geology and Geophysics, and Center for Computation and Technology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA.
Kanani K. Lee, Department of Computer Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
Maria Ximena Rodriguez, Department of Computer Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
Orna Mukhopadhyay, Baton Rouge Magnet High School, Baton Rouge, LA 70806, USA.
David Burk, Shared Instrumentation Facility and Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA.
Joseph Francis, Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
Supratik Mukhopadhyay, Department of Computer Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
Xing Fu, LSU AgCenter, School of Animal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
Manas Ranjan Gartia, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-24-2020

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.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Nature communications

First Page

2007

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