Modeling the Behavior of Sulfur During Terrestrial Core Formation

Physics

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

1015 Composition Of The Core, 1025 Composition Of The Mantle, 1038 Mantle Processes (3621), 1060 Planetary Geochemistry (5405, 5410, 5704, 5709, 6005, 6008)

Scientific paper

Sulfur has been proposed to be a component of the light element in Earth's core, and thus interpreting the mantle S abundance can provide constraints on Earth's core formation process and core composition. Based on metal-silicate partitioning experiments, Li and Agee (2001) concluded that Earth's mantle S abundance is too high to be due to equilibrium core formation in a high pressure, high temperature magma ocean on the early Earth; consequently, the addition of S to the mantle from the subsequent accretion of a late veneer would be required to produce the mantle S content. Independently of and contemporaneous to the Li and Agee (2001) study, Holzheid and Grove (2002) conducted similar metal-silicate equilibrium partitioning experiments in a S-bearing system. Though the experiments were similar to those of Li and Agee (2001), Holzheid and Grove (2002) concluded that Earth's mantle S abundance could indeed be set by metal-silicate equilibration in a high pressure, high temperature magma ocean with a metallic liquid that had 5.5-12 wt% S. We have examined the data sets from both the Li and Agee (2001) and Holzheid and Grove (2002) studies in an attempt to reconcile these contradictory conclusions. Through parameterizing existing metal-silicate partitioning data for S and applying the parameterization to core formation in Earth, our work suggests that a large number of pressure and temperature combinations predict partitioning values for S that could explain the observed S mantle abundance. Furthermore, these pressure and temperature solutions are found to be largely independent of the S concentration in Earth's core. Thus, we find that the mantle abundance of S is consistent with pressures of 35-60 GPa and temperatures of 2500-4000 K; this overlaps with the pressure and temperature range proposed by previous studies to similarly match the mantle abundances of Ni and Co by core formation in an early magma ocean on Earth.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Modeling the Behavior of Sulfur During Terrestrial Core Formation does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Modeling the Behavior of Sulfur During Terrestrial Core Formation, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Modeling the Behavior of Sulfur During Terrestrial Core Formation will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1025394

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.