Sulfur geochemical evidence for a high-energy impact lunar origin

Sulfur geochemical evidence for a high-energy impact lunar origin | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Physical Sciences - Article Sulfur geochemical evidence for a high-energy impact lunar origin Hairuo Fu, James Dottin This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6762675/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The chemical behavior of sulfur (S) offers a sensitive record of the high-temperature processes that shaped the early Earth–Moon system. Recent advances in constraining the lunar sulfur content and primitive sulfur isotopic composition 1 (δ 34 S) prompt a reassessment of its implications for Moon formation. Here, we model the coupled evolution of lunar sulfur abundance and isotopic composition across a range of giant-impact scenarios, accounting for disk composition 2,3 , condensation and vaporization, metal–silicate partitioning 4 , and late accretion 5 . We show that the canonical Moon-forming impact 2 , which involves re-equilibration between metal and silicate in the post-impact disk, predicts excess sulfur and fractionated δ 34 S values in the Moon—both inconsistent with lunar compositions. In contrast, a high-energy giant-impact scenario (e.g., a Synestia) 3 , involving metal exsolution from cooling silicate fluids, yields a sulfur-depleted Moon with δ 34 S values that match current constraints. These results require metal–silicate equilibration at 2,600–3,900 K, supporting a high-temperature origin of the Earth-Moon system. Our findings further suggest that a substantial metal phase may not be required in the initial lunar disk to explain the Moon’s core, thereby relaxing a key constraint embedded in prior giant-impact models 2 . Earth and environmental sciences/Planetary science/Early solar system Earth and environmental sciences/Planetary science/Geochemistry Earth and environmental sciences/Planetary science/Core processes Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files FuXDottinSupplementaryInformation.pdf Fu & Dottin_Supplementary Information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6762675","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Physical Sciences - Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":467207425,"identity":"0f822e8d-ffa7-4617-ab52-05ab9c6a9a9e","order_by":0,"name":"Hairuo Fu","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAzUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACAwbGBhDNz8DeAxNLIE6LZAPPGaK1QIBkg0QOkVrM2Q+3feapYJAwuPn22IePbXcY+NlzDPBqsexJbJ4NdJOEwe285Jkz254xSPa8wa/F4EBiMzNvG0Odwe0cY2bebYcZDG4QsMXg/EOwFqDDzkC02BPUciMRquUGD9QWCYJaHjYzzgH6RfJMXjLjzH+HeSTOPCsg4LD0xwxvgCHGd/zsYYYPZw7L8bcnb8CrBQr+w1k8xCgfBaNgFIyCUUAAAADeQkU6Z7bsswAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1823-2016","institution":"Brown University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hairuo","middleName":"","lastName":"Fu","suffix":""},{"id":467207426,"identity":"d2769af1-22eb-42a4-a50a-ab86e88f0115","order_by":1,"name":"James Dottin","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1923-1576","institution":"Brown University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"James","middleName":"","lastName":"Dottin","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-05-27 22:05:46","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6762675/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6762675/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":85039869,"identity":"991d31e7-a4c1-4b64-aff9-002ade720e20","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-20 09:09:57","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":8244261,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Article File","description":"","filename":"FuXDottinmainmanuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6762675/v1_covered_523b8f17-2b88-4316-a4c3-add822345979.pdf"},{"id":85039023,"identity":"5925a981-df25-4a51-8367-211f40c4c0e7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-20 09:01:42","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":13265220,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Fu \u0026 Dottin_Supplementary Information","description":"","filename":"FuXDottinSupplementaryInformation.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6762675/v1/9c6872da2ef21fb1a719f310.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"Sulfur geochemical evidence for a high-energy impact lunar origin","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6762675/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6762675/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe chemical behavior of sulfur (S) offers a sensitive record of the high-temperature processes that shaped the early Earth–Moon system. Recent advances in constraining the lunar sulfur content and primitive sulfur isotopic composition\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e (δ\u003csup\u003e34\u003c/sup\u003eS) prompt a reassessment of its implications for Moon formation. Here, we model the coupled evolution of lunar sulfur abundance and isotopic composition across a range of giant-impact scenarios, accounting for disk composition\u003csup\u003e2,3\u003c/sup\u003e, condensation and vaporization, metal–silicate partitioning\u003csup\u003e4\u003c/sup\u003e, and late accretion\u003csup\u003e5\u003c/sup\u003e. We show that the canonical Moon-forming impact\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e, which involves re-equilibration between metal and silicate in the post-impact disk, predicts excess sulfur and fractionated δ\u003csup\u003e34\u003c/sup\u003eS values in the Moon—both inconsistent with lunar compositions. In contrast, a high-energy giant-impact scenario (e.g., a Synestia)\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e, involving metal exsolution from cooling silicate fluids, yields a sulfur-depleted Moon with δ\u003csup\u003e34\u003c/sup\u003eS values that match current constraints. These results require metal–silicate equilibration at 2,600–3,900 K, supporting a high-temperature origin of the Earth-Moon system. 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