How Mercury formed its graphite crust and core

How Mercury formed its graphite crust and core

As the BepiColombo mission prepares to enter the final phase of its journey to Mercury, a series of studies conducted by researchers at the University of Liège and KU Leuven sheds new light on the early stages of the evolution of the planet closest to the sun. Using experimental petrology, the researchers are reconstructing in the laboratory the formation of Mercury's core, the crystallization of its magma ocean and the formation of its mantle. …

Mercury May Once Have Been Wrapped In A Graphite Crust

Mercury may once have been wrapped in a dark graphite crust formed from carbon floating across a global ocean of molten rock. New laboratory experiments indicate that this primordial shell could have been between 40 and 120 metres thick, covering much of the planet before violent impacts and repeated volcanic eruptions tore it apart. Fragments […]

Mercury’s Ancient Crust May Have Been Made of Graphite

Mercury may once have been covered by a thin crust of graphite, the same form of carbon used in pencils. New laboratory studies have revealed how this unusual crust formed and why the planet’s enormous core contains much less carbon than scientists once thought. The research was conducted by scientists at the University of Liège […]