Volcanic outgassing of CO2 and H2O on Mars

2011 ◽  
Vol 308 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 391-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Grott ◽  
A. Morschhauser ◽  
D. Breuer ◽  
E. Hauber
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Outgassing

How atmospheric escape sculped the evolution of the Martian CO2 atmosphere over time

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Scherf ◽  
Herbert Lichtenegger ◽  
Sergey Dyadechkin ◽  
Helmut Lammer ◽  
Raven Adam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Models ◽  
Atmospheric Escape ◽  
Ion Escape ◽  
Thermal Escape ◽  
Partial Pressures ◽  
Argon Isotopes ◽  
Atmospheric Loss ◽  
4.1 Ga ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Volcanic Outgassing

<p>Mars likely had a denser atmosphere during the Noachian eon about 3.6 to 4.0 billion years ago (Ga). How dense this atmosphere might have been, and which escape mechanisms dominated its loss are yet not entirely clear. However, non-thermal escape processes and potential sequestration into the ground are believed to be the main drivers for atmospheric loss from the present to about 4.1 Ga.</p> <p>To evaluate non-thermal escape over the last ~4.1 billion years, we simulated the ion escape of Mars' CO<sub>2</sub> atmosphere caused by its dissociation products C and O atoms with numerical models of the upper atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind (see Lichtenegger et al. 2021; https://arxiv.org/abs/2105.09789). We use the planetward-scattered pick-up ions for sputtering estimates of exospheric particles including <sup>36</sup>Ar and <sup>38</sup>Ar isotopes, and compare ion escape, with sputtering and photochemical escape rates. For solar EUV fluxes ≥3 times the present-day Sun (earlier than ~2.6 Ga) ion escape becomes the dominant atmospheric non-thermal loss process until thermal escape takes over during the pre-Noachian eon (earlier than ~4.0 - 4.1 Ga). If we extrapolate the total escape of CO<sub>2</sub>-related dissociation products back in time until ~4.1 Ga, we obtain a theoretical equivalent to CO<sub>2</sub> partial pressure of more than ~3 bar, but this amount did not necessarily have to be present and represents a maximum that could have been lost to space within the last ~4.1 Ga.</p> <p>Argon isotopes can give an additional insight into the evolution of the Martian atmosphere. The fractionation of <sup>36</sup>Ar/<sup>38</sup>Ar isotopes through sputtering and volcanic outgassing from its initial chondritic value of 5.3, as measured in the 4.1 billion years old Mars meteorite ALH 84001, until the present day can be reproduced for assumed CO<sub>2</sub> partial pressures between ~0.2-3.0 bar, depending on the cessation time of the Martian dynamo (assumed between 3.6-4.0 Ga) - if atmospheric sputtering of Ar started afterwards. The later the dynamo ceased away, the lower the pressure could have been to reproduce <sup>36</sup>Ar/<sup>38</sup>Ar.</p> <p>Prior to ~4.1 Ga (i.e., during the pre-Noachian eon), thermal escape should have been the most important driver of atmospheric escape at Mars, and together with non-thermal losses, might have prevented a stable and dense CO<sub>2</sub> atmosphere during the first ~400 million years. Our results indicate that, while Mars could have been warm and wet at least sporadically between ~3.6-4.1 Ga, it likely has been cold and dry during the pre-Noachian eon (see also Scherf and Lammer 2021; https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.05976).</p>

scholarly journals Exoplanet secondary atmosphere loss and revival

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (31) ◽  
pp. 18264-18271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin S. Kite ◽  
Megan N. Barnett
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Simple Model ◽  
Solar System ◽  
High Molecular Weight ◽  
Habitable Zone ◽  
Magma Ocean ◽  
Early Loss ◽  
High Molecular Weight Species ◽  
M Stars ◽  
Volcanic Outgassing

The next step on the path toward another Earth is to find atmospheres similar to those of Earth and Venus—high–molecular-weight (secondary) atmospheres—on rocky exoplanets. Many rocky exoplanets are born with thick (>10 kbar) H2-dominated atmospheres but subsequently lose their H2; this process has no known Solar System analog. We study the consequences of early loss of a thick H2atmosphere for subsequent occurrence of a high–molecular-weight atmosphere using a simple model of atmosphere evolution (including atmosphere loss to space, magma ocean crystallization, and volcanic outgassing). We also calculate atmosphere survival for rocky worlds that start with no H2. Our results imply that most rocky exoplanets orbiting closer to their star than the habitable zone that were formed with thick H2-dominated atmospheres lack high–molecular-weight atmospheres today. During early magma ocean crystallization, high–molecular-weight species usually do not form long-lived high–molecular-weight atmospheres; instead, they are lost to space alongside H2. This early volatile depletion also makes it more difficult for later volcanic outgassing to revive the atmosphere. However, atmospheres should persist on worlds that start with abundant volatiles (for example, water worlds). Our results imply that in order to find high–molecular-weight atmospheres on warm exoplanets orbiting M-stars, we should target worlds that formed H2-poor, that have anomalously large radii, or that orbit less active stars.

scholarly journals Constraints on the onset duration of the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

2018 ◽  
Vol 376 (2130) ◽  
pp. 20170082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Kirtland Turner
Keyword(s):  
System Model ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Carbon Cycle Model ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Carbon Isotope Excursion ◽  
Geological Past ◽  
Thermal Maximum ◽  
Age Model ◽  
Volcanic Outgassing

The Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, approx. 56 Ma) provides a test case for investigating how the Earth system responds to rapid greenhouse gas-driven warming. However, current rates of carbon emissions are approximately 10 Pg C yr −1 , whereas those proposed for the PETM span orders of magnitude—from ≪1 Pg C yr −1 to greater than the anthropogenic rate. Emissions rate estimates for the PETM are hampered by uncertainty over the total mass of PETM carbon released as well as the PETM onset duration. Here, I review constraints on the onset duration of the carbon isotope excursion (CIE) that is characteristic of the event with a focus on carbon cycle model-based attempts that forgo the need for a traditional sedimentary age model. I also review and compare existing PETM carbon input scenarios employing the Earth system model cGENIE and suggest another possibility—that abrupt input of an isotopically depleted carbon source combined with elevated volcanic outgassing over a longer interval can together account for key features of the PETM CIE. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Hyperthermals: rapid and extreme global warming in our geological past’.

scholarly journals Electromagnetic induction heating as a driver of volcanic activity on massive rocky planets

2020 ◽  
Vol 636 ◽  
pp. L10
Author(s):  
Kristina Kislyakova ◽  
Lena Noack
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Induction Heating ◽  
Volcanic Activity ◽  
High Surface ◽  
Radioactive Decay ◽  
Heating Mechanism ◽  
Driving Mechanisms ◽  
Conductivity Profile ◽  
Tidal Heating ◽  
Volcanic Outgassing

Aims. We investigate possible driving mechanisms of volcanic activity on rocky super-Earths with masses exceeding 3–4 M⊕. Due to high gravity and pressures in the mantles of these planets, melting in deep mantle layers can be suppressed, even if the energy release due to tidal heating and radioactive decay is substantial. Here we investigate whether a newly identified heating mechanism, namely induction heating by the star’s magnetic field, can drive volcanic activity on these planets due to its unique heating pattern in the very upper part of the mantle. In this region the pressure is not yet high enough to preclude the melt formation. Methods. Using the super-Earth HD 3167b as an example, we calculate induction heating in the planet’s interiors assuming an electrical conductivity profile typical of a hot rocky planet and a moderate stellar magnetic field typical of an old inactive star. Then we use a mantle convection code (CHIC) to simulate the evolution of volcanic outgassing with time. Results. We show that although in most cases volcanic outgassing on HD 3167b is not very significant in the absence of induction heating, including this heating mechanism changes the picture and leads to a substantial increase in the outgassing from the planet’s mantle. This result shows that induction heating combined with a high surface temperature is capable of driving volcanism on massive super-Earths, which has important observational implications.

scholarly journals In situ confirmation of permeability development in shearing bubble-bearing melts and implications for volcanic outgassing

2017 ◽  
Vol 458 ◽  
pp. 315-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra R.L. Kushnir ◽  
Caroline Martel ◽  
Rémi Champallier ◽  
Laurent Arbaret
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Outgassing

scholarly journals Lethal Volcanic Gases at an Italian Country Club

Eos ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Kornei
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Hydrogen Sulfide ◽  
Volcanic Gases ◽  
Country Club ◽  
Volcanic Outgassing

High levels of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide emitted by volcanic outgassing caused a deadly accident near Rome, Italy, in 2011, geoscientists have shown.

scholarly journals An Exogenic Origin for the Volatiles Sampled by the LCROSS Impact

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Mandt ◽  
Olivier Mousis ◽  
Dana Hurley ◽  
Alexis Bouquet ◽  
Kurt Retherford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Surface Chemistry ◽  
Volcanic Activity ◽  
Lunar Crater ◽  
The Moon ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Volcanic Source ◽  
History Of ◽  
Volcanic Outgassing

Abstract Returning humans to the Moon presents an unprecedented opportunity to determine the origin of volatiles stored in the permanently shaded regions (PSRs), which trace the history of lunar volcanic activity, solar wind surface chemistry, and volatile delivery to the Earth and Moon through impacts of comets, asteroids, and micrometeoroids. So far, the source of the volatiles sampled by the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) plume (1, 2) has remained undetermined. We show here that the source could not be volcanic outgassing and the composition is best explained by cometary impacts. Ruling out a volcanic source means that volatiles in the top 1–3 meters of the Cabeus PSR regolith may be younger than the latest volcanic outgassing event (~ 1 billion years ago; Gya) (3).

scholarly journals Earth's Outgassing and Climatic Transitions: The Slow Burn Towards Environmental “Catastrophes”?

Elements ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 325-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Ryan McKenzie ◽  
Hehe Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Cycle ◽  
Plate Tectonics ◽  
Climate Fluctuations ◽  
Driving Mechanisms ◽  
Atmosphere System ◽  
Principal Source ◽  
Extinction Events ◽  
Mass Extinction Events ◽  
Baseline Climate ◽  
Volcanic Outgassing

On multimillion-year timescales, outgassing from the Earth's interior provides the principal source of CO2 to the ocean–atmosphere system, which plays a fundamental role in shaping the Earth's baseline climate. Fluctuations in global outgassing have been linked to icehouse–greenhouse transitions, although uncertainties surround paleo-outgassing fluxes. Here, we discuss how volcanic outgassing and the carbon cycle have evolved in concert with changes in plate tectonics and biotic evolution. We describe hypotheses of driving mechanisms for the Paleozoic icehouse–greenhouse climates and explore how climatic transitions may have influenced past biotic crises and, in particular, how variable outgassing rates established the backdrop for carbon cycle perturbations to instigate prominent mass extinction events.

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