Evolution of Earth’s magma ocean
Magma oceans are thought to be an important stage in the lifecycle of a planet, and may have been commonplace in the early Solar System. On Earth, a magma ocean induced by a giant impact event associated with formation of the Moon was crucial in setting the initial conditions of core- and atmosphere formation. The group was involved in the first measurements of how the oxidation state of Fe in molten peridotite (the major constituent of Earth’s mantle) responds to the O2 partial pressure in the atmosphere (Sossi et al. 2020b), with the implication that Earth’s earliest atmosphere was likely similar to that on Venus today. While the Earth’s mantle is oxidised relative to those of other differentiated rocky bodies, the causes of this oxidation are still debated. The investigation of such mechanisms via experimentation using spectroscopic techniques, such as Raman, X-ray absorption (e.g. Le Losq and Sossi, 2023) and Mössbauer in diamond anvil cells at synchrotron light sources (e.g. Petitgirard et al. 2015) is a key research focus for the group.
Researchers
- Alice Girani
- Sylvain Petitgirard
- Dan Bower