Ancient volcanic rocks on the early Earth provided a steady supply of reactive phosphorus needed to build the first living cells. Scientists long thought early life required rare meteorites to deliver reactive phosphorus because common crustal minerals dissolve poorly in water. Natural weathering of mantle and volcanic rocks broke mineral bonds and released soluble phosphorus forms directly into prebiotic oceans.
Geology
Rock, air, water, climate, ecosystems, and the systems of a changing planet.
The chemical composition of a sub-Neptune planet's deep magma ocean determines the entire structure and chemical makeup of its atmosphere. Astronomers long treated exoplanet gas envelopes as isolated systems that change gradually, but deep rock chemistry forces skies into one of two starkly different regimes. Magnesium silicates condense out of gas above the molten interior, setting up molecular weight barriers that halt heat circulation and dictate which gases reach the upper atmosphere.
Sinking tectonic plates can transport vastly more water into Earth's deep mantle than earlier models predicted. Common geological models assume that rocks steadily lose their trapped moisture as rising heat and pressure bake them during descent. Instead, cold serpentine rocks actively bind excess fluid into dense mineral lattices at extreme depths.