Volatile partitioning in Earth's deep magma ocean

• Applicant: Dr. Liang Yuan
• Subject Area: Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry ; Geophysics
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 457492921

The exchange of volatiles between the Earth’s interior and the surface affects the long-term chemical and dynamic evolution of our planet and exerts strong influences on climate and ecosystems. Recent studies support the notion that the Earth’s core is likely the largest reservoir of hydrogen and carbon; the budget of other volatiles such as helium, halogens, and nitrogen, however, have been poorly understood to date due to uncertainty in the composition of Earth’s core. Investigating the storage, transport, and exchange of volatiles in and between deep reservoirs and the surface is therefore of great geological interest. For this purpose, we will use state of the art electronic structure methods in the framework of density-functional theory, specifically two-phase coexistence simulations and the thermodynamic integration method based on molecular dynamics. We will compute the speciation, solubility, and partitioning of helium, halogens, and nitrogen in silicate and iron liquids over the range of pressures and temperatures expected in a deep magma ocean during the formation of Earth’s core, with the goal to constrain the concentration and distribution of these volatiles in deep reservoirs.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Dr. Gerd Steinle-Neumann