What can we say about the abundance of volatile materials on Mercury?
A)The observed abundance of volatile materials is low. This is consistent with Mercury's formation close to the Sun, where volatile materials would be "boiled out" of the solar system.
B)The observed abundance of volatile materials is low. This is consistent with a large planetesimal striking Mercury and taking away the outer mantle-the usual explanation for Mercury's large iron core.
C)The observed abundance of volatile materials is low. This is consistent with the outer mantle of Mercury being stripped away in just a few minutes due to a large impact.
D)The observed abundance of volatile materials is high. This is inconsistent with Mercury's formation close to the Sun.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mercury has a surprisingly high abundance of volatile materials, which is inconsistent with theories predicting that its proximity to the Sun would have led to a loss of such materials during its formation. This challenges traditional models of Mercury's formation and composition.

What Can We Say About the Abundance of Volatile Materials