Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 7, 2025

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory
Published on: November 15, 2013
Krypton in the Chassigny meteorite shows Mars accreted chondritic volatiles before nebular gases
Sandrine Péron1, Sujoy Mukhopadhyay1
1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Abstract:
Volatile elements are thought to have been delivered to Solar System terrestrial planets late in their formation through accretion of chondritic meteorites. Mars can provide information on inner Solar System volatile delivery during the earliest planet formation stages. We measured krypton isotopes in the martian meteorite Chassigny, representative of the planet's interior. We found chondritic krypton isotope ratios, which imply early incorporation of chondritic volatiles. The atmosphere of Mars has different (solar-type) krypton isotope ratios, indicating that it is not a product of magma ocean outgassing or fractionation of interior volatiles. Atmospheric krypton instead originates from accretion of solar nebula gas after formation of the mantle but before nebular dissipation. Our observations contradict the common hypothesis that during planet formation, chondritic volatile delivery occurred after solar gas acquisition.
Related Concept Videos
Noble Gases
The elements in group 18 are noble gases (helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon). They earned the name “noble” because they were assumed to be nonreactive since they have filled valence shells. In 1962, Dr. Neil Bartlett at the University of British Columbia proved this assumption to be false.
Volatilization
Kepler's First Law of Planetary Motion
Polish astronomer Nikolaus Copernicus put forth a theory that stated a heliocentric model for the solar system. According to this heliocentric theory, all the planets, including Earth, orbit the Sun in circular orbits.
On the other hand,...
Gravimetry: Inorganic And Organic Precipitating Agents
Sulfur Assimilation
Atomic Mass

