A Mercury-like component of early Earth yields uranium in the core and high mantle 142Nd

High pressure experiments show that addition of a reduced sulfur-rich body to Earth during its accretion would provide enough energy to power the core’s geodynamo and, by fractionating neodymium relative to samarium, would explain the observed enrichment of Earth’s mantle in neodymium-142. Anke Wohlers and Bernard Wood use high-pressure experiments to show that the addition of a reduced Mercury-like body to the early Earth, rich in sulfur, could...