The distribution of elements on Earth is determined by planetary differentiation and nucleosynthesis.
Geochemical and cosmological evidence strongly supports the view that the distribution of chemical elements on Earth and other rocky planets is fundamentally governed by nucleosynthesis (which provides the initial inventory of elements) and planetary differentiation processes such as core-mantle fractionation.
The claim connects two major well-established geological and cosmological principles: nucleosynthesis establishes the starting composition of matter, and planetary differentiation (such as core-mantle segregation, magma ocean solidification, and crustal formation) redistributes those elements into Earth's various reservoirs. The retrieved papers consistently examine how core-mantle differentiation and mantle processes control the distribution of elements like carbon, thorium, uranium, silicon, and copper. There is no evidence refuting this dual mechanism.
K. Tsuno, D. Grewal, R. Dasgupta. Core-mantle fractionation of carbon in Earth and Mars: The effects of sulfur. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.GCA.2018.07.010
Paper 0 examines how early core-mantle differentiation fractionation processes shape the distribution of carbon and other elements across planetary reservoirs.
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S. Wipperfurth, Meng Guo, O. Šrámek, W. McDonough. Earth's chondritic Th/U: Negligible fractionation during accretion, core formation, and crust–mantle differentiation. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.06.029
Paper 1 discusses how planetary differentiation and accretion processes govern the distribution and ratios of radioisotopes like thorium and uranium.
E. Steenstra, W. van Westrenen. Geochemical constraints on core-mantle differentiation in Mercury and the aubrite parent body. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2020.113621
Paper 2 demonstrates how core formation and high-pressure geochemical differentiation control the distribution of silicon and other elements in terrestrial planets.
C. Sanchez‐Valle, F. Gaillard, S. Ghosh, K. Mezger. Fluids and melts in planetary interiors: From crust to core–mantle boundaries. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CHEMGEO.2015.11.012
Paper 6 reviews how fluids and melts drive mass transfer and planetary differentiation, shaping the internal distribution of elements from crust to core.
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