Composition of Earth's initial atmosphere and fate of accreted volatiles set by core formation and magma ocean redox evolution

Gu, Jesse T.; Peng, Bo; Ji, Xuan; Zhang, Jisheng; Yang, Hong; Hoyos, Susana; Hirschmann, Marc M.; Kite, Edwin S.; Fischer, Rebecca A.

doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2024.118618

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…The inner-solar-system planets, including Earth, were formed largely from the accretion of numerous planetesimals and Moon- to Mars-sized embryos, which had already differentiated into a metallic core and silicate mantle [ 136 , 145 ]. Consequently, the quantity and distribution of volatiles in such differentiated bodies must have played a significant role in shaping Earth's volatile budget and ratios, if Earth's volatiles were delivered during the main accretion phase [ 81 , 84 , 138 , 146 , 147 ]. The fate of volatiles in a planetary magma ocean is determined by their dissolution and partitioning among the core, mantle and atmosphere [ 81 , 130 , 145 , 148 ].…”

Section: Origin Of Earth's Nitrogen and The Distribution Of Nitrogen ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chen and Jacobson (2022) [ 147 ] and Gu et al. (2024) [ 146 ] have also combined experimental \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{upgreek} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document} $D_N^{{metal}/silicate}$\end{document} , \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{upgreek} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document} $D_C^{{metal}/silicate}$\end{document} and N-body accretion simulations in order to gain further insight into the processes that have shaped the volatile compositions of the Earth. The authors reached similar conclusions regarding the superchondritic C/N ratio in the silicate Earth, which they attributed to a complex interplay between the delivery of volatile-bearing planetesimals/embryos, core–mantle partitioning, mantle degassing and impact-induced atmospheric loss.…”

Section: Origin Of Earth's Nitrogen and The Distribution Of Nitrogen ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The origin and evolution of Earth's nitrogen

2024

National Science Review

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Nitrogen is a vital element for life on Earth. Its cycling between the surface (atmosphere + crust) and the mantle has a profound influence on the atmosphere and climate. However, our understanding of the origin and evolution of Earth's nitrogen is still incomplete. This review presents an overview of the current understanding of Earth's nitrogen budget and the isotope composition of different reservoirs, laboratory constraints on deep nitrogen geochemistry, and our understanding of the origin of Earth's nitrogen and the deep nitrogen cycle through plate subduction and volcanism. The Earth may have acquired its nitrogen heterogeneously during the main accretion phase, initially from reduced, enstatite-chondrite-like impactors, and subsequently from increasingly oxidized impactors and minimal CI-chondrite-like materials. Like Earth's surface, the mantle and core are also significant nitrogen reservoirs. The nitrogen abundance and isotope composition of these three reservoirs may have been fundamentally established during the main accretion phase and have been insignificantly modified afterwards by the deep nitrogen cycle, although there is a net nitrogen ingassing into Earth's mantle in modern subduction zones. However, it is estimated that the early atmosphere of Earth may have contained ∼1.4 times the present-day atmospheric nitrogen (PAN), with ∼0.4 PAN being sequestered into the crust via biotic nitrogen fixation. In order to gain a better understanding of the origin and evolution of Earth's nitrogen, directions for future research are suggested.

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Section: Origin Of Earth's Nitrogen and The Distribution Of Nitrogen ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Origin Of Earth's Nitrogen and The Distribution Of Nitrogen ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The origin and evolution of Earth's nitrogen

2024

National Science Review

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Earth's core composition and core formation

Fischer,

McDonough

2025

Treatise on Geochemistry

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Contribution of the Moon-forming Impactor to the Volatile Inventory in the Bulk Silicate Earth

Grewal,

Miyazaki,

Nie

2024

Planet. Sci. J.

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The timing and mechanism by which the present-day inventory of life-essential volatiles hydrogen–carbon–nitrogen–sulfur (H–C–N–S) in the bulk silicate Earth (BSE) was established are debated. In this study we have modeled the equilibrium partitioning of H–C–N–S between core, magma ocean (MO), and atmosphere to determine whether the Moon-forming impactor (MFI) was the primary source of volatiles in the BSE. Our findings suggest that the MFI’s core and MO-degassed atmosphere were its primary H–C–N–S reservoirs. Since the MFI likely lost its MO-degassed atmosphere before the giant impact, most of the BSE’s volatiles must come from the small fraction of the MFI’s core which reequilibrated with Earth’s post-impact MO. This implies a high H–C–N–S inventory in the MFI (up to 50% of volatile-rich carbonaceous chondrites) to establish the BSE’s volatile budget. Although isotopic compositions of nonvolatile elements do not rule out the possibility of substantial volatile-rich, carbonaceous material accretion, MFI’s collisional growth from thermally metamorphosed/differentiated planetesimals makes it improbable that it contained ∼50% carbonaceous chondrite equivalent of H–C–N during its differentiation. Therefore, the MFI was unlikely the primary source of volatiles in the BSE. A significant portion of the BSE’s volatile inventory (especially H and C) likely predates the Moon-forming event. To prevent loss to space and segregation into Earth’s core, volatile-bearing materials must be delivered during the final accretion event(s) preceding the Moon-forming event. The substantial size of the proto-Earth at this stage, combined with limited metal–silicate equilibration during the Moon-forming event, facilitated the retention of these volatiles within the BSE.

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Composition of Earth's initial atmosphere and fate of accreted volatiles set by core formation and magma ocean redox evolution

Cited by 3 publications

References 80 publications

The origin and evolution of Earth's nitrogen

The origin and evolution of Earth's nitrogen

Earth's core composition and core formation

Contribution of the Moon-forming Impactor to the Volatile Inventory in the Bulk Silicate Earth

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