Significant depletion of volatile elements in the mantle of asteroid Vesta due to core formation

Steenstra, E. S.; Dankers, D.; Berndt, Jasper; Klemme, Stephan; Matveev, Sergei; Westrenen, W. van

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2018.08.020

Cited by 19 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 97 publications

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“…One possibility is that the sulfur-rich medium might have formed due to degassing of a sulfur-bearing magma during its intrusion 25,29 . Degassing of sulfur has been suggested based on the presence of 34 S enrichment in some eucrite meteorites 40 and consideration on the depletion of volatile siderophile elements in eucrites 41 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of metasomatism in the interior of Vesta

et al. 2020

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Diogenites are a group of meteorites that are derived from the interior of the largest protoplanet Vesta. They provide a unique opportunity to understanding together the internal structure and dynamic evolution of this protoplanet. Northwest Africa (NWA) 8321 was suggested to be an unbrecciated noritic diogenite meteorite, which is confirmed by our oxygen and chromium isotopic data. Here, we find that olivine in this sample has been partly replaced by orthopyroxene, troilite, and minor metal. The replacement texture of olivine is unambiguous evidence of sulfur-involved metasomatism in the interior of Vesta. The presence of such replacement texture suggests that in NWA 8321, the olivine should be of xenolith origin while the noritic diogenite was derived from partial melting of pre-existing rocks and had crystallized in the interior of Vesta. The post-Rheasilvia craters in the northpolar region on Vesta could be the potential source for NWA 8321.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of metasomatism in the interior of Vesta

et al. 2020

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“…This would imply a strongly oxidizing mantle near the QFM (Quartz-Fayalite-Magnetite) buffer (Ortenzi et al 2020). From the abundances of siderophile elements in meteorites from Vesta, on the other hand, the oxidation state seems to have been much lower, perhaps a logarithmic unit below the IW (Iron-Wüstite) buffer with very low Fe 3+ fractions (Righter et al 2016;Steenstra et al 2019). This would seem to contrast with our oxidation mechanism presented in Sect.…”

Section: Oxidation State Of Vestamentioning

confidence: 65%

“…Sulfur could nevertheless have entered the core and expelled later due to its incompatibility with solid iron (Johnson et al 2020). Steenstra et al (2019) infer 15% sulfur in the core of Vesta from chalcophile elements. This is consistent with measurements of the original S contents of iron meteorites (Chabot 2004), later expelled due to incompatibility with the solid iron phase.…”

Section: Light Elements In the Corementioning

confidence: 99%

Anatomy of rocky planets formed by rapid pebble accretion

Johansen

Ronnet

Schiller

et al. 2023

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We present a series of papers dedicated to modelling the accretion and differentiation of rocky planets that form by pebble accretion within the lifetime of the protoplanetary disc. In this first paper, we focus on how the accreted ice determines the distribution of iron between the mantle (oxidized FeO and FeO1.5) and the core (metallic Fe and FeS). We find that an initial primitive composition of ice-rich material leads, upon heating by the decay of 26Al, to extensive water flow and the formation of clay minerals inside planetesimals. Metallic iron dissolves in liquid water and precipitates as oxidized magnetite Fe3O4. Further heating by 26Al destabilizes the clay at a temperature of around 900 K. The released supercritical water ejects the entire water content from the planetesimal. Upon reaching the silicate melting temperature of 1700 K, planetesimals further differentiate into a core (made mainly of iron sulfide FeS) and a mantle with a high fraction of oxidized iron. We propose that the asteroid Vesta’s significant FeO fraction in the mantle is a testimony of its original ice content. We consider Vesta to be a surviving member of the population of protoplanets from which Mars, Earth, and Venus grew by pebble accretion. We show that the increase in the core mass fraction and decrease in FeO contents with increasing planetary mass (in the sequence Vesta – Mars – Earth) is naturally explained by the growth of terrestrial planets outside of the water ice line through accretion of pebbles containing iron that was dominantly in metallic form with an intrinsically low oxidation degree.

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“…Moderately siderophile and volatile elements (MSVEs) are depleted in the Earth's mantle compared to lithophile volatile elements, presumably due to their segregation into the core, and as a consequence they do not follow the canonical volatility trend pattern (Lodders, 2003; Wasson et al., 1988; Wood et al., 2019). A way to infer the effect of differentiation on the observed volatile depletion is to experimentally study the behavior of MSVEs during such processes (e.g., Ballhaus et al., 2017; Blanchard et al., 2015; Corgne et al., 2008; Kubik et al., 2021; Mahan et al., 2017; Mahan, Siebert, Blanchard, Badro, et al., 2018; Mahan, Siebert, Blanchard, Borensztajn, et al., 2018; Righter et al., 2017; Siebert et al., 2011; Steenstra et al., 2016; 2017; 2019; Suer et al., 2017). The behavior of MSVEs at core formation conditions in controlled experiments, and their comparison to geochemical observables, helps to deconvolve the effects of differentiation and volatile‐related processes from one another.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By characterizing Sn partitioning at the conditions of Earth's accretion, it is possible to constrain possible accretion pathways that can lead to this perceived overabundance. This study is focused on Sn and expands the conditions of investigation of Sn metal–silicate partitioning behavior, in particular by applying higher pressures than most previous studies (Ballhaus et al., 2013, 2017; Capobianco et al., 1999; Righter et al., 2010, 2017, 2019; Righter & Drake, 2000; Vogel et al., 2018). By focusing explicitly on Sn and its partitioning at higher P, T conditions than previously explored, we provide comprehensive constraints on its partitioning as a function of thermodynamic variables.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracing Earth's Volatile Delivery With Tin

et al. 2021

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The habitability of Earth depends intrinsically on the presence of volatile elements, and therefore the timing and origin of volatile elements delivery to Earth is a key question, yet to be answered. Volatile elements are depleted in terrestrial planets compared to the Sun's photosphere with degree of depletion generally increasing with decreasing condensation temperature (Palme & O'Neill, 2013). The two most extreme mechanisms that could explain this depletion are (a) a loss of volatile elements by syn-and post-accretion volatilization processes, or (b) a depletion of volatile elements within the accreted material that formed the terrestrial planets due to incomplete condensation in the solar nebula (Albarède, 2009).

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Significant depletion of volatile elements in the mantle of asteroid Vesta due to core formation

Cited by 19 publications

References 97 publications

Evidence of metasomatism in the interior of Vesta

Evidence of metasomatism in the interior of Vesta

Anatomy of rocky planets formed by rapid pebble accretion

Tracing Earth's Volatile Delivery With Tin

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