Redox Variations in Early Solar System Materials and Implications for Late Stage Planetary Accretion and Planet Formation

Abstract

Oxygen fugacity plays an important role in determining the detailed physical and chemical aspects of planets and their building blocks. Basic chemical properties such as the amount of oxidized Fe in a mantle (as FeO), the nature of alloying elements in the core (S, C, H, O, Si), and the solubility of various volatile elements in the silicate and metallic portions of embryos and planets can influence physical properties such as the size of the core, the liquidus and solidus of the mantle and core, and the speciation of volatile compounds contributing to atmospheres. This paper will provide an overview of the range of fO2 variation observed in primitive and differentiated materials that may have participated in accretion (cosmic dust, Star-dust and meteorites), a comparison to observations of planetary fO2 (Mercury, Mars and Earth), and a discus-sion of timing of variation of fO2 within both early and later accreted materials. This overview is meant to promote discussion and interaction between students of these two stages of planet formation to identify areas where more work is needed.