Isotopic Tracing of Volatile Elements in Planetary Bodies and Mantle Reservoirs
This community investigates the distribution and chemical behavior of volatile elements—specifically hydrogen, carbon, sulfur, and noble gases—within Earth’s mantle, the Moon, and asteroids to reconstruct the formation history and evolution of the solar system.
The work centers on isotope fractionation, mass spectrometry, and the analysis of noble gases and trace elements in silicate melts and sulfide minerals. Recurring subjects include the Bushveld Complex in South Africa, lunar regolith, and impact structures on Mars, such as Gale and Jezero craters. Researchers examine oxygen fugacity, carbon isotope systematics, and the origin of natural hydrogen in crustal and mantle reservoirs. The community also analyzes platinum group elements and the geochemical signatures of asteroid samples returned from Ryugu and Bennu, linking these findings to broader questions of planetary differentiation and magma ocean evolution.
The community contributes most significantly to research on helium, representing 2.3% of all tracked helium research, and platinum, accounting for 1.5% of that element’s research. It also holds a substantial share of sulfur research at 1.1%.
The community comprises 33,184 papers, with the highest publication volumes in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, and Chemical Geology.
Recent work focuses on the redox-driven mineral associations in Jezero Crater, Mars, and the detection of carbon-dioxide-dominated gas comas around interstellar objects. Other recent studies examine the nucleobases found in asteroid Ryugu samples and the role of mantle oxygen fugacity in Earth’s geological history.