A new study challenges conventional wisdom about the depletion of moderately volatile elements (MVEs) like copper and zinc in Earth and Mars. Analyzing iron meteorites, the research reveals that early planetesimals were rich in MVEs, suggesting their loss occurred during violent cosmic collisions during planetary growth.
Understanding the origins of Earth's essential elements and the reasons behind the absence of some has long been a scientific enigma. A groundbreaking new study offers a surprising twist to the narrative of our planet's formation.
Led by Assistant Professor Damanveer Grewal from Arizona State University's School of Molecular Sciences and School of Earth and Space Exploration, in collaboration with researchers from Caltech, Rice University, and MIT, this study challenges prevailing theories regarding why Earth and Mars are depleted in moderately volatile elements (MVEs). MVEs like copper and zinc are crucial components of planetary chemistry, often accompanying life-essential elements such as water, carbon, and nitrogen. Unraveling their origins provides vital clues about why Earth became a habitable world. Earth and Mars contain significantly fewer MVEs compared to primitive meteorites (chondrites), raising fundamental questions about planetary formation. This study takes a novel approach by analyzing iron meteorites, remnants of the metallic cores of the earliest planetary building blocks, to uncover fresh insights. 'We found conclusive evidence that first-generation planetesimals in the inner solar system were unexpectedly rich in these elements,' said Grewal. 'This discovery reshapes our understanding of how planets acquired their ingredients.'Previously, scientists believed that MVEs were lost either because they never fully condensed in the early solar system or escaped during planetesimal differentiation. However, this study reveals a different narrative: many of the first planetesimals retained their MVEs, suggesting that the building blocks of Earth and Mars lost theirs later—during a period of violent cosmic collisions that shaped their formation. Surprisingly, the team found that many inner solar system planetesimals retained chondrite-like MVE abundances, demonstrating that they accreted and preserved MVEs despite undergoing differentiation. This suggests that the progenitors of Earth and Mars were not initially depleted in these elements, but instead, their loss occurred over a prolonged history of collisional growth rather than incomplete condensation in the solar nebula or planetesimal differentiation. 'Our work redefines how we understand the chemical evolution of planets,' Grewal explained. 'It shows that the building blocks of Earth and Mars were originally rich in these life-essential elements, but intense collisions during planetary growth caused their depletion.
Planetary Formation Meteorites Moderately Volatile Elements Cosmic Collisions Astrophysics
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