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Rice University Study Reveals Mercury’s Unique Magma Properties

4/15/2026

Summary

Story summary

Researchers at Rice University find Mercury’s low-iron, high-sulfur makeup lets magma stay liquid at lower temperatures than Earth.
They used the Indarch meteorite, resembling Mercury’s composition, to recreate interior conditions in the lab.
Sulfur binds with magnesium and calcium instead of iron, which weakens silicate structures and lowers the crystallization temperature.
The findings urge planetary analyses based on each body's chemistry rather than Earth-centric assumptions.

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Story summary

Researchers at Rice University find Mercury’s low-iron, high-sulfur makeup lets magma stay liquid at lower temperatures than Earth.
They used the Indarch meteorite, resembling Mercury’s composition, to recreate interior conditions in the lab.
Sulfur binds with magnesium and calcium instead of iron, which weakens silicate structures and lowers the crystallization temperature.
The findings urge planetary analyses based on each body's chemistry rather than Earth-centric assumptions.