Project description
Study investigates why Mercury is rich in volatile elements
NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft that orbited Mercury for more than four years captured unprecedented views of the planet. One of the major findings was that despite being close to the Sun, the planet has higher concentrations of volatile substances such as carbon and sulfur compared to other rocky planets. However, the speciation, role and fate of such volatiles under highly reducing conditions remain unclear. The EU-funded VOLATILES_MERCURY project aims to advance understanding of volatile evolution in the magma ocean early in the planet’s formation by combining MESSENGER data and laboratory experiments. The data from the spacecraft mission offer the opportunity to thoroughly study sulfide liquid immiscibility, mantle partial melting, and volatile speciation and solubility in magmas in reducing atmospheres.
Objective
Mercury has been extensively characterized by the NASA MESSENGER spacecraft that was orbiting the planet from 2011 to 2015. The surface of Mercury is covered by lavas and magmatic processes have structured the planet into an extremely large core, a thin mantle and a relatively thick crust, which is highly reduced, iron-depleted, and rich in volatiles. Some volatiles (sulfur and carbon) have been measured at the surface in relatively high abundances compared to other terrestrial planets butthe speciation, role and their fate under highly reducing conditions are still unclear. In this research program, the understanding of the evolution of volatiles in magma on Mercury will be advanced by combining MESSENGER data and laboratory experiments. Relevant data will be obtained from high-temperature and low- to high-pressure experiments using furnaces, presses and multi-anvil apparatus. We will investigate experimentally compositions corresponding to the possible primitive mantle composition, and to surface compositions provided by X-Ray Spectroscopy data from MESSENGER. These recent data provide a unique opportunity to perform innovative experiments under the extremely reducing conditions characteristic for Mercury on sulfides liquid immiscibility, mantle partial melting, and speciation and solubility of volatiles in magmas. Our objectives are to provide new and firm constraints on (1) the P-T position of the solidus of the mantle of Mercury; (2) the speciation, role and fate of carbon and sulfur volatiles in magmas on Mercury and (3) the partitioning of trace elements between sulphide melts (FeS and (Ca,Mg,Fe)S) and silicate melt in the Mercurian mantle.
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.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
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.
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF
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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.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
4000 LIEGE
Belgium
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.