Objective
Partial melting of silicates dominates the chemical evolution of Earth today and was even more important in Earth’s earlier history. The Earth may have begun in a completely molten state, a global magma ocean, with silicate liquid extending from a dense silicate atmosphere to the boundary with the iron-rich core at a pressure of 140 GPa. Deep melt may exist in the Earth today, and the magma ocean may have left signatures of its presence. However, these signals are still uninterpretable because of a lack of basic knowledge of the behavior of fluid silicates at extreme conditions: very little is known of the physics and chemistry of fluid silicates beyond the conditions of ongoing shallow magma genesis (<3 GPa). We propose to solve this problem by constructing a comprehensive thermodynamic model (HeFESTo) of multi-component silicate melting, vaporization, and reaction with iron, and the physical properties of liquid and vapor phases over the entire pressure-temperature range relevant to Earth, including impacts and early Earth processes. To help constrain the thermodynamic model, we will perform new first principles quantum mechanical simulations in the range of pressure, temperature, composition relevant to the early Earth that have not yet been explored by experiment or theory. Simulations will include key homogeneous and heterogeneous systems of fluid silicates in liquid, vapor, supercritical, and solid forms, including simulations of pure phases, and phase coexistence. We expect HeFESTo to change our views of magma ocean evolution and lead to new scenarios of Earth’s earliest evolution. What these scenarios might be is impossible to predict as they will be shaped by still unknown aspects of the physics and chemistry of silicate liquids at extreme conditions, which the MoltenEarth project aims to discover.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2011-ADG_20110209
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Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Host institution
WC1E 6BT LONDON
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.