Alkali elements in the Earth's core: Evidence from enstatite meteorites
Author:
- 1 January 1995
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Meteoritics
- Vol. 30 (1) , 93-101
Abstract
Abstract—The abundances of alkali elements in the Earth's core are predicted by assuming that accretion of the Earth started from material similar in composition to enstatite chondrites and that enstatite achondrites (aubrites) provide a natural laboratory to study core‐mantle differentiation under extremely reducing conditions. If core formation on the aubrite parent body is comparable with core formation on the early Earth, it is found that 2600 (±1000) ppm Na, 550 (±260) ppm K, 3.4 (±2.1) ppm Rb, and 0.31 (±0.24) ppm Cs can reside in the Earth's core. The alkali‐element abundances are consistent with those predicted by independent estimates based on nebula condensation calculations and heat flow data.Keywords
This publication has 64 references indexed in Scilit:
- High-Pressure and High-Temperature Experiments on Core-Mantle Segregation in the Accreting EarthScience, 1994
- Superheating Effects on Metal-Silicate Partitioning of Siderophile ElementsScience, 1993
- Potassium and the Earth's coreGeophysical Research Letters, 1986
- The Bakerian Lecture, 1983 - The Earth’s core: its composition, formation and bearing upon the origin of the EarthProceedings of the Royal Society of London. A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 1984
- 87Rb–87Sr history of the Norton County enstatite achondriteEarth and Planetary Science Letters, 1976
- The early chemical history of the earth: Some critical elemental fractionationsEarth and Planetary Science Letters, 1971
- Consequences of the presence of sulfur in the core of the earthEarth and Planetary Science Letters, 1971
- Uranium and thorium abundances in chondritic meteoritesTalanta, 1968
- Djerfisherite, Alkali Copper-Iron Sulfide: A New Mineral from Enstatite ChondritesScience, 1966
- Relative Contributions of Uranium, Thorium, and Potassium to Heat Production in the EarthScience, 1964