{"id":391258,"date":"2026-04-14T09:00:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T09:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/391258\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T09:00:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T09:00:15","slug":"the-key-to-understanding-the-solar-systems-most-reduced-planet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/391258\/","title":{"rendered":"The key to understanding the solar system&#8217;s most reduced planet"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.openaccessgovernment.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/iStock-619762300-scaled.jpg\" data-caption=\"image: \u00a9R_Tee | iStock\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"696\" height=\"464\" class=\"entry-thumb td-modal-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/iStock-619762300-696x464.jpg\"   alt=\"Lava crack cement wall background.\" title=\"Lava crack cement wall background.\"\/><\/a>image: \u00a9R_Tee | iStock<br \/>\n            Rice University researchers have found that Mercury\u2019s low-iron, high-sulfur chemistry allows its magma to stay liquid at lower temperatures than Earth\u2019s<\/p>\n<p>By using a <a href=\"https:\/\/linkinghub.elsevier.com\/retrieve\/pii\/S0016703726001249\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">rare meteorite to simulate Mercury\u2019s interior,<\/a> they discovered that sulfur essentially replaces oxygen in the planet\u2019s molecular structure, completely changing how its crust and mantle evolved.<\/p>\n<p>Published in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, the study explains why the solar system\u2019s smallest planet has such a unique, iron-poor crust.<\/p>\n<p>Recreating mercury in a lab<\/p>\n<p>Because scientists lack direct samples from Mercury\u2019s surface, Rajdeep Dasgupta and his team turned to the Indarch meteorite. This rare space rock, which fell in Azerbaijan in 1891, is chemically \u201creduced\u201d (meaning its substances have gained electrons), matching the unique chemical state of Mercury.<\/p>\n<p>Using the Indarch meteorite as a blueprint, lead author Yishen Zhang recreated the high-pressure, high-temperature conditions of Mercury\u2019s interior. By mixing the meteorite\u2019s chemical ingredients and \u201ccooking\u201d them, the researchers could observe how magma behaves in an environment with almost no oxygen but massive amounts of sulfur.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cpromiscuous\u201d role of sulfur<\/p>\n<p>On Earth and Mars, sulfur usually binds to iron. However, Mercury is iron-poor, forcing sulfur to find new \u201cbinding partners.\u201d The researchers found that on Mercury, sulfur binds to major rock-forming elements like magnesium and calcium.<\/p>\n<p>On Earth, these elements would typically bind to oxygen to form a stable \u201csilicate network.\u201d On Mercury, sulfur takes oxygen\u2019s place, which leads to significant structural changes:<\/p>\n<p>Weakened silicate networks:<\/p>\n<p>The bond between sulfur and rock-forming elements is weaker than the bond with oxygen.<\/p>\n<p>Lowered melting point:<\/p>\n<p>Delayed crystallization:<\/p>\n<p>Because the magma remains liquid longer, the process of the planet\u2019s mantle solidifying happened in a way never before seen in our solar system.<\/p>\n<p>A new framework for planetary science<\/p>\n<p>This discovery proves that researchers cannot use Earth-based assumptions to understand other worlds. Just as water and carbon dictate the \u201cmagmatic evolution\u201d of Earth, sulfur is the primary driver for Mercury.<\/p>\n<p>This research provides a new lens through which to view planetary formation. It suggests that a planet\u2019s \u201creduced\u201d state and specific mineral ratios can create entirely different geologic cycles, fundamentally changing how a planet\u2019s crust and mantle form over billions of years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"image: \u00a9R_Tee | iStock Rice University researchers have found that Mercury\u2019s low-iron, high-sulfur chemistry allows its magma to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":391259,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[2259,3185,85,46,30637,141],"class_list":{"0":"post-391258","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-earth-science","9":"tag-ecosystems","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-israel","12":"tag-research-and-innovation","13":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=391258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391258\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/391259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=391258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=391258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=391258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}