Tanzania's carbon-rich volcano may explain mysterious hollows on Mercury
By
Matthew R. Francis
A baker's-dozen of insight crammed into one ring.
Summary
Ol Doinyo Lengai, a unique volcano in Tanzania, produces carbon-rich lava that erupts at lower temperatures than typical silicon-based volcanoes. New research published in Icarus suggests that similar carbon-based volcanic activity could explain the mysterious "hollows" observed on Mercury's surface. The study draws parallels between the unusual volcanic processes on Earth and features on Mercury, which has been difficult to study due to its proximity to the Sun. Most data on Mercury comes from NASA's MESSENGER mission over the past two decades.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledThe volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai in Tanzania is unique on Earth: Its lava is rich in carbon compounds that melt at significantly lower temperatures than typical silicon-rich lavas from other terrestrial volcanoes.
It is possible, however, that carbon volcanoes could exist elsewhere, including on exoplanets, or—as suggested in a recently published article in Icarus—perhaps even on planet Mercury.
Despite being known from antiquity, Mercury is very hard to study because of its closeness to the Sun.
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