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Planetary geochemistry

Oxygen-rich melt in deep magma oceans

Nature Geoscience volume 16, pages 392–393 (2023)Cite this article

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High pressures may have enabled ferric iron-rich silicate melts to coexist with iron metal near the base of magma oceans early in the history of large rocky planets like Earth. This suggests a relatively oxygen-rich atmosphere during the late stages of core formation on these planets.

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Fig. 1: Effects of magma ocean size on planetary oxidation state and atmospheric composition.

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  1. Institut des Sciences de la Terre d’Orléans, CNRS/Université d’Orléans/BRGM, Orléans, France

    Fabrice Gaillard

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  1. Fabrice Gaillard
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Correspondence to Fabrice Gaillard.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Gaillard, F. Oxygen-rich melt in deep magma oceans. Nat. Geosci. 16, 392–393 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01178-3

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