The magma ocean period was a critical phase determining how Earth atmosphere developed into habitability. However there are major uncertainties in the role of key processes such as outgassing from […]
astrogeology
Posted inAstrogeology, Press Release
Accretion Disk's Magnetic Field Controlled The Composition Of The Terrestrial Planets
Chondrites, the building blocks of the terrestrial planets, have mass and atomic proportions of oxygen, iron, magnesium, and silicon totaling ≥90% and variable Mg/Si (∼25%), Fe/Si (factor of ≥2), and […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Press Release
Lithologic Controls on Silicate Weathering Regimes of Temperate Planets
The atmospheres of temperate planets may be regulated by geochemical cycles. Silicate weathering provides essential negative feedback to the carbonate-silicate cycle (carbon cycle) to maintain temperate climates on Earth and […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Press Release
Setting the Stage: Planet Formation And Volatile Delivery
The diversity in mass and composition of planetary atmospheres stems from the different building blocks present in protoplanetary discs and from the different physical and chemical processes that these experience […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Press Release
Oxygen-excess Oxides In Earth's Mid-mantle Facilitate The Ascent Of Deep Oxygen
Subduction of hydrous materials imposes great influence on the structure, dynamics, and evolution of our planet. However, it is largely unclear how subducting slabs chemically interact with the middle mantle. […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Press Release
Wind Erosion On Mars And Other Small Terrestrial Planets
We carried out wind tunnel experiments on parabolic flights with 100 μm Mojave Mars simulant sand. The experiments result in shear stress thresholds and erosion rates for varying g-levels at […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Press Release
Oxygen Fugacities Of Extrasolar Rocks: Evidence for an Earth-like Geochemistry of Exoplanets
Oxygen fugacity is a measure of rock oxidation that influences planetary structure and evolution. Most rocky bodies in the Solar System formed at oxygen fugacities approximately five orders of magnitude […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Press Release
Measuring The Atomic Composition Of Planetary Building Blocks
Volatile molecules are critical to habitability, yet difficult to observe directly at the optically thick midplanes of protoplanetary disks, where planets form. We present a new technique to measure indirectly […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Planet Formation and Migration Near the Silicate Sublimation Front in Protoplanetary Disks
The increasing number of newly detected exoplanets at short orbital periods raises questions about their formation and migration histories. A particular puzzle that requires explanation arises from one of the […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Press Release
Hydrogen Isotopic Evidence For Early Oxidation Of Silicate Earth
The Moon-forming giant impact extensively melts and partially vaporizes the silicate Earth and delivers a substantial mass of metal to Earth’s core. Subsequent evolution of the magma ocean and overlying […]