Volatile elements thermal evolution

The core accounts for one-third of the Earth s mass. The nature and abundance of the light elements in the core are of fundamental importance to the study of the Earth and the solar system. Once identified, the abundance and distribution of light elements in the core would place constraints on a variety of issues including core formation models, volatile element budget in the bulk Earth, thermal structure and evolution of the core, and convection in the liquid outer core. For instance, the temperature at the CMB might depend on the identity and concentration of light elements in the core. Whether or not compositional buoyancy is important in the outer core would affect the pattern of core convection, hence the structure and evolution of the geodynamo. 

Saal et ah, 2008 [286] discussed volatile content of lunar volcanic glasses and the presence of water in the Moon s interior. Their conclusion from measurements of contents of the most primitive basalts in the Moon—the lunar volcanic glasses— is that water (and other volatiles like CO2) must be considered in models constraining the Moon s formation and its thermal and chemical evolution. Chaudisson, 2008 [65] also deduced from analyzes of lunar volcanic glasses that they are rich in volatile elements and water. If the moon was formed by a huge impact on the early earth by a planet sized object this would have also consequences for models of early Earth formation. 

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