The Role of Carbon in Exotic Crust Formation on MercuryThe terrestrial planets that comprise our inner Solar System, including the Moon, are all rocky bodies that have differentiated into a crust, mantle, and core. Furthermore, all of these bodies have undergone various igneous processes since their time of primary crust formation. These processes have resurfaced each of these bodies, at least in part, resulting in the production of a secondary crust, to which Mercury is no exception. From its first flyby encounter with Mercury on January 14, 2008, the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft collected data on the structure, chemical makeup, and density of the planet among other important characteristics. The X-Ray Spectrometer on board MESSENGER measured elevated abundances of sulfur and low abundances of iron, suggesting the planets oxygen fugacity (fO2) is several log10 units below the Iron-Wustite buffer. Similar to the role of other volatiles (e.g. sulfur) on highly reducing planetary bodies, carbon is expected to behave differently in an oxygen starved environment than it does in an oxygen enriched environment (e.g., Earth).
Document ID
20180002635
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Vander Kaaden, Kathleen E. (Jacobs Technology, Inc. Houston, TX, United States)
McCubbin, Francis M. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
April 30, 2018
Publication Date
April 25, 2018
Subject Category
Space Sciences (General)Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration