Percolative Sulfide Core Formation in Oxidized Planetary Bodies

Percolative Sulfide Core Formation in Oxidized Planetary Bodies | 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 Article Percolative Sulfide Core Formation in Oxidized Planetary Bodies Samuel Crossley, Jacob Setera, Brendan Anzures, Kayla Iacovino, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4726898/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 04 Apr, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Models of planetary core formation traditionally involve the fractionation of Fe,Ni-metal melts from silicate mantles after extensive silicate melting. However, in planetary bodies that form farther from their central star, where moderately volatile elements are more abundant, high concentrations of oxygen and sulfur stabilize Fe,Ni-sulfides over metals. Meteorite partial melting experiments show that percolative sulfide melt migration can occur in primitive, oxidized mineral assemblages prior to silicate melting. Complementary partial melting experiments with synthetic sulfides show that fractionation of liquid sulfide from solid residues yields distinct noble metal (Os, Ru, Ir, Pd, and Pt) trace element proportions that match those manifested in the most oxidized meteoritic residues, the brachinites, as well as their complementary basaltic melts. These experiments provide the first reported evidence for percolative sulfide melt fractionation in meteorites and indicate that sulfide-dominated cores would be expected in oxidized planetary bodies as percolative sulfide segregation began at lower temperatures and earlier stages of melting compared to metallic core formation. Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Planetary science/Meteoritics Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Planetary science/Geochemistry Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Planetary science/Petrology Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Planetary science/Core processes Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files CrossleySDsupplementarySulfideCoreFormation2024NatComm.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 04 Apr, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Communications → 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. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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-4726898","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":338122760,"identity":"1be283ce-bb3a-484a-9457-924f2bb41d5d","order_by":0,"name":"Samuel Crossley","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA40lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYNCCAgYGfiB1AMo1IEILUI1kA8laDA6gcPEA/tmHD3/8YWCTuPn42YcHf1TckWdgb94mgU+LxLm0NGkeg7TEbWfSDQ5InHlm2MBzrAyvFgMeHjNmBoPDidsOpDEcMGw7zNggkWNGSIsx0GH/Ezf3P2M4kNh22L5B/g1BLQYSPAYHEjdIAG052HY4sUGCB78WiTNsIL8kG8+48YzhYMOZw8ltPGnFFvi08PcwA0Oswk62vz+NGcg4bNvPfnjjDXxaYMCxAcZiI0Y5CNgTq3AUjIJRMApGIAAAKDtJ+elI9koAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0619-0197","institution":"University of Arizona","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Samuel","middleName":"","lastName":"Crossley","suffix":""},{"id":338122761,"identity":"7aec309e-a4e3-49de-97f9-b9454ecf90ae","order_by":1,"name":"Jacob Setera","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Texas El Paso","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jacob","middleName":"","lastName":"Setera","suffix":""},{"id":338122762,"identity":"8b2b39d7-6a44-4941-a71f-1d489a8adb1b","order_by":2,"name":"Brendan Anzures","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5549-1631","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Brendan","middleName":"","lastName":"Anzures","suffix":""},{"id":338122763,"identity":"9e036644-b8fa-4b6e-82fb-09ed144de89e","order_by":3,"name":"Kayla Iacovino","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2461-7748","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kayla","middleName":"","lastName":"Iacovino","suffix":""},{"id":338122764,"identity":"bc6beeb5-cc69-49f9-8e2d-447baa8c465f","order_by":4,"name":"Wayne Buckley","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Jacobs-JETS - 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