Privileged planet: source of necessary metals (Introduction)

by David Turell , Saturday, October 12, 2024, 20:21 (19 days ago) @ David Turell

From planetesimals?:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241011141553.htm

"Researchers have used the chemical fingerprints of zinc contained in meteorites to determine the origin of volatile elements on Earth. The results suggest that without 'unmelted' asteroids, there may not have been enough of these compounds on Earth for life to emerge.

"Volatiles are elements or compounds that change into vapour at relatively low temperatures. They include the six most common elements found in living organisms, as well as water. The zinc found in meteorites has a unique composition, which can be used to identify the sources of Earth's volatiles.

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"Their results show that while these 'melted' planetesimals contributed about 70% of Earth's overall mass, they only provided around 10% of its zinc.

"According to the model, the rest of Earth's zinc came from materials that didn't melt and lose their volatile elements. Their findings suggest that unmelted, or 'primitive' materials were an essential source of volatiles for Earth.

"'We know that the distance between a planet and its star is a determining a factor in establishing the necessary conditions for that planet to sustain liquid water on its surface," said Martins, the study's lead author. "But our results show that there's no guarantee that planets incorporate the right materials to have enough water and other volatiles in the first place -- regardless of their physical state.'"

Comment: This study implies that receiving enough materials for life is a touch and go process, tenuous at best. This planet got it all. Chance or design? I pick design.