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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Nature Communications

Carbon distribution in planet Mercury from magma ocean evolution to graphite crust and core composition

  • Olivier Namur
  • Bernard Charlier
  • Camille Cartier
  • Kaustubh Hakim
  • Johan Villeneuve
  • Nicola Tosi
  • Jasper Berndt
  • Stephan Klemme
  • Tahar Hammouda
  • Maxime Maurice
  • Maud Boyet
  • Celia Dalou
1 more authors
  • Oliver Shorttle
Open at sourcePDFDOICite

Abstract

MESSENGER observations revealed a primary graphite flotation crust on Mercury, implying substantial carbon retention in its magma ocean rather than sequestration into the core. To investigate the conditions enabling this retention, we conducted high-pressure, high-temperature metal–silicate partitioning experiments over a wide range of oxygen fugacities. Carbon behavior is strongly redox dependent: under relatively oxidizing conditions it is highly siderophile, whereas under the reducing conditions relevant to Mercury it becomes significantly less siderophile, promoting carbon retention in silicate melts and graphite crystallization. Modeling of carbon partitioning between the core, mantle, crust, and atmosphere indicates that oxygen fugacities of IW − 6 to IW − 6.5 best reproduce the graphite crust thickness inferred from MESSENGER data. Under these conditions, Mercury’s core remains relatively carbon-poor ( < 5000 μ g/g), implying that its density deficit is primarily controlled by other light elements, most likely silicon and sulfur. These results link Mercury’s extreme reduction to both its graphite crust and internal chemical structure.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{namur2026carbon,
  title = {{Carbon distribution in planet Mercury from magma ocean evolution to graphite crust and core composition}},
  author = {Olivier Namur and Bernard Charlier and Camille Cartier and Kaustubh Hakim and Johan Villeneuve and Nicola Tosi and Jasper Berndt and Stephan Klemme and Tahar Hammouda and Maxime Maurice and Maud Boyet and Celia Dalou and Oliver Shorttle},
  journal = {Nature Communications},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-75458-y},
  url = {https://hal.science/hal-05848266v1},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Carbon distribution in planet Mercury from magma ocean evolution to graphite crust and core composition
AU  - Olivier Namur
AU  - Bernard Charlier
AU  - Camille Cartier
AU  - Kaustubh Hakim
AU  - Johan Villeneuve
AU  - Nicola Tosi
AU  - Jasper Berndt
AU  - Stephan Klemme
AU  - Tahar Hammouda
AU  - Maxime Maurice
AU  - Maud Boyet
AU  - Celia Dalou
AU  - Oliver Shorttle
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/02
JO  - Nature Communications
DO  - 10.1038/s41467-026-75458-y
UR  - https://hal.science/hal-05848266v1
AB  - MESSENGER observations revealed a primary graphite flotation crust on Mercury, implying substantial carbon retention in its magma ocean rather than sequestration into the core. To investigate the conditions enabling this retention, we conducted high-pressure, high-temperature metal–silicate partitioning experiments over a wide range of oxygen fugacities. Carbon behavior is strongly redox dependent: under relatively oxidizing conditions it is highly siderophile, whereas under the reducing conditions relevant to Mercury it becomes significantly less siderophile, promoting carbon retention in silicate melts and graphite crystallization. Modeling of carbon partitioning between the core, mantle, crust, and atmosphere indicates that oxygen fugacities of IW − 6 to IW − 6.5 best reproduce the graphite crust thickness inferred from MESSENGER data. Under these conditions, Mercury’s core remains relatively carbon-poor ( < 5000 μ g/g), implying that its density deficit is primarily controlled by other light elements, most likely silicon and sulfur. These results link Mercury’s extreme reduction to both its graphite crust and internal chemical structure.
SN  - 2041-1723
SN  - 2041-1723
ER  -