Fluid dynamics experiments on impact-induced metal dispersion during Earth's accretion

Abstract:

Much of the Earth was built by high-energy impacts of planetesimals and embryos, many of these impactors already differentiated, with metallic cores of their own. Geochemical data provide critical information on the timing of accretion and the prevailing physical conditions, but their interpretation depends critically on the degree of metal-silicate chemical equilibration and metal dispersion during core-mantle differentiation, which is poorly constrained. Efficient equilibration requires that the large volumes of iron derived from impactor cores mix with molten silicates down to scales small enough to allow fast metal-silicate mass transfer. Here we use fluid dynamics experiments to investigate the fate of the metal phase of a planetesimal or planetary embryo colliding with the proto-Earth. The degree of metal-dispersion and metal-silicate mixing are found to depend primarily on the Froude number of the impactor, with "small" impacts (having large Froude numbers) having a comparatively higher amount of dispersion and mixing than "large" impacts (moderate Froude numbers).