Sulfides and hollows formed on Mercury’s surface by reactions with reducing S-rich gases

Renggli, CJ; Klemme, S; Morlok, A; Berndt, J; Weber, I; Hiesinger, H; King, PL

Abstract

The surface of Mercury is enriched in sulfur, with up to 4 wt.% detected by the NASA MESSENGER mission, and has been challenging to understand in the context of other terrestrial planets. We posit, that magmatic S was mobilized as a gas phase in volcanic and impact processes near the surface, exposing silicates to a hot S-rich gas at reducing conditions and allowing conditions for rapid gas-solid reactions. Here we present novel experiments on the reaction of Mercury composition glasses with reduced S-rich gas, forming Ca- and Mg-sulfides. The reaction products provide porous and fragile materials that create previously enigmatic hollows on Mercury. Our model predicts that the gas-solid reaction forms Ca-Mg-Fe-Ti-sulfide assemblages with SiO2 and aluminosilicates, distinct from formation as magmatic minerals. The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury will allow this hypothesis to be tested.