1712.08234
The elusive origin of Mercury
Ebel, Stewart
The MESSENGER mission sought to discover what physical processes determined Mercury's high metal to silicate ratio. Instead, the mission has discovered multiple anomalous characteristics about the innermost planet. The lack of FeO and the reduced oxidation state of Mercury's crust and mantle are more extreme than nearly all other known materials in the solar system. In contrast, moderately volatile elements are present in abundances comparable to the other terrestrial planets. No single process using Mercury's formation is able to explain all of these observations. Here, review the current ideas for the origin of Mercury's unique features. Gaps in understanding the innermost regions of the solar nebular limit testing different hypothesis. Even so, all proposed models are incomplete and need further development in order to unravel Mercury's remaining secrets.
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