Planetary science articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    The origin of the numerous linear grooves and craters that litter the Martian moon Phobos' surface remains enigmatic. Here, by modelling low-velocity escaping ejecta from impacts to Phobos, the authors show that several of these chains can be explained by reimpacting sesquinary ejecta shortly after ejection.

    • M. Nayak
    •  & E. Asphaug

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Studying craters on atmosphere-less bodies can unlock information about planetesimal histories. Here, Marchi et al. present results from the NASA Dawn mission to Ceres showing that craters >100–150 km in size are largely absent, and find that Ceres’ internal evolution is responsible for their absence.

    • S. Marchi
    • , A. I. Ermakov
    •  & C. T. Russell

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Large positive sulphur isotope excursions, recorded in the wake of the Marinoan glaciation have previously been interpreted assuming stable ocean sulphate concentrations. Here, using multiple sulphur isotopes, the authors instead suggest significant ocean sulphate drawdown, driven by increased pyrite burial.

    • Pierre Sansjofre
    • , Pierre Cartigny
    •  & Magali Ader

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The causes behind fluctuations in Neptune's brightness as observed from Earth have proved enigmatic. Here, Aplin and Harrison use photometric observations to show that solar ultraviolet radiation and galactic cosmic rays combined are responsible for the fluctuations originating in Neptune’s atmosphere.

    • K. L. Aplin
    •  & R. G. Harrison

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Meteorites falling on Earth today are believed to represent 100–150 parent bodies. Within 470 Myr ago sediments at a limestone quarry in Sweden, Schmitz et al. have found and identified a new type of meteorite based on chromium and oxygen isotopes sourced from a previously unknown parental body.

    • B. Schmitz
    • , Q. -Z. Yin
    •  & G. R. Huss

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The causes of intraplate deformation remain poorly constrained. Heron et al. use numerical models to show that ancient plate tectonic processes produce mantle lithosphere structures that may be reactivated to generate intraplate deformation.

    • Philip J. Heron
    • , Russell N. Pysklywec
    •  & Randell Stephenson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Recent samples have shown that the Moon's interior, previously thought to be anhydrous, contains water, yet how this water was delivered is unclear. Here, using isotopic analyses and modelling, Barnes et al. show that carbonaceous chondrite-type objects delivered >80% of the Moon's bulk water.

    • Jessica J. Barnes
    • , David A. Kring
    •  & Sara S. Russell

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Over a geological timescale, plate tectonics are thought to promote biodiversity, but this link remained descriptive. Here, Leprieur et al. model dynamically how plate tectonics shaped species diversification and movement of hotspots on tropical reefs over the past 140 million years.

    • Fabien Leprieur
    • , Patrice Descombes
    •  & Loïc Pellissier

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A range of mechanisms has been proposed for large-scale folding in polar ice sheets. Here, using new three-dimensional reconstructions of such folds in the onset region of the Greenland Petermann Glacier, the authors show that these formed due to flow convergence and the high mechanical anisotropy of ice.

    • Paul D. Bons
    • , Daniela Jansen
    •  & Ilka Weikusat

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Theory predicts a deficit of super-Earth sized planets, which orbit close to their host star. Here, Lundkvist et al. use data from the NASA Kepler mission to show that this deficit is also seen in observations, thereby providing new insight into exoplanetary systems.

    • M. S. Lundkvist
    • , H. Kjeldsen
    •  & T. R. White

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The association between Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) eruption volatiles and the end-Triassic mass extinction remains ambiguous. Here, the authors present mercury and palaeontological evidence from the same archive and show that significant biotic recovery did not begin until CAMP eruptions ceased.

    • Alyson M. Thibodeau
    • , Kathleen Ritterbush
    •  & Frank A. Corsetti

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The quantitative understanding of how gypsum nucleates and grows from aqueous solutions is limited. Here, the authors demonstrate how, by using truly in situ and fast time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering, the four-stage solution-based nucleation and growth of this mineral can be quantified.

    • Tomasz M. Stawski
    • , Alexander E.S. van Driessche
    •  & Liane G. Benning

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Collection data suggest the proportion of iron-based meteorites recovered from Antarctica is significantly lower than the rest of the world. Here, the authors propose a mechanism to explain this discrepancy, showing that iron meteorites heated by solar energy can move down through the ice, not to re-emerge.

    • G. W. Evatt
    • , M. J. Coughlan
    •  & I. D. Abrahams

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Greenhouse-gas forcing has previously been thought to be rather ineffective at destroying the habitability of Earth-like planets. Here, the authors show that CO2is as effective as solar forcing at causing a climate transition to a Moist-Greenhouse regime and thus poses an equal threat to a planet's habitability.

    • Max Popp
    • , Hauke Schmidt
    •  & Jochem Marotzke

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Unlike some planets, the Venusian polar vortex is warmer than the mid-latitudes at cloud-top level, but the mechanism behind this is unknown. Here, the authors use a general circulation model and suggest the cold collar and warm polar regions are due to residual mean meridional circulation intensified by thermal tides.

    • Hiroki Ando
    • , Norihiko Sugimoto
    •  & Yoshihisa Matsuda

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Quantifying Greenland's future contribution to sea level requires accurate portrayal of its outlet glaciers in ice sheet simulations. Here, the authors show that outlet glacier flow can be captured if ice thickness is well constrained and vertical shearing as well as membrane stresses are included in the model.

    • Andy Aschwanden
    • , Mark A. Fahnestock
    •  & Martin Truffer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The development of pan-Arctic Ocean ice shelves during peak glacials was proposed in the 1970s, an idea that has been disputed due to lack of evidence. Here, the authors present geophysical mapping data supporting the presence of such an ice shelf during the peak of the penultimate glaciation ∼140–160 ka.

    • Martin Jakobsson
    • , Johan Nilsson
    •  & Igor Semiletov

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The chemical compositions of young lava flows on the Moon have implications for late volcanism. Here, the authors present mineral distribution data from the Chang′e-3 Yutu rover in the northern Imbrium mare region, reporting unique compositional characteristics of a previously unsampled basalt type.

    • Zongcheng Ling
    • , Bradley L. Jolliff
    •  & Jianyu Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Aerosols play an important role in Earth’s radiative balance, but their influence on the climate of giant planets is unclear. Here, the authors show that gases alone cannot maintain the energy balance in the middle atmosphere of Jupiter, instead proposing that an aerosol layer dominates radiative heating.

    • Xi Zhang
    • , Robert A. West
    •  & Yuk L. Yung

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The composition of the Earth's core, particularly the light elements present, is not well constrained. Here, the authors report sound velocities of liquid iron-carbon alloy as measured at very high pressures using inelastic X-ray scattering and suggest that carbon cannot be predominant in the outer core.

    • Yoichi Nakajima
    • , Saori Imada
    •  & Alfred Q. R. Baron

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mars likely evolved from a warmer, wetter early state to the cold, arid current climate, but this evolution is not reflected in recent observations and measurements. Here, the authors derive quantitative constraints on the atmospheric pressure through time, identifying a mechanism that explains the carbon data.

    • Renyu Hu
    • , David M. Kass
    •  & Yuk L. Yung

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The absence of in situand long-term meteorological data hampers our understanding of wind movement on Mars. Here, the authors use 3D airflow modelling to investigate small scale ripple migration and suggest that local dune topography exerts a strong influence on wind speed and direction.

    • Derek W. T. Jackson
    • , Mary C Bourke
    •  & Thomas A. G. Smyth

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Observations indicate that the southern hemisphere of Enceladus is geologically active, with spray containing Si nanoparticles being ejected from an underground ocean. Here, the authors report that experiments to constrain reaction conditions suggest the core is similar to that of carbonaceous chondrites.

    • Yasuhito Sekine
    • , Takazo Shibuya
    •  & Sin-iti Sirono

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The discovery of rounded pebbles by Curiosity suggests sustained fluvial activity existed on Mars, but interpretations have been qualitative. Here, the authors show that transport distance can be calculated on the basis of pebble shape alone, suggesting they travelled 10 s of km by bed-load transport.

    • Tímea Szabó
    • , Gábor Domokos
    •  & Douglas J. Jerolmack

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Collisions in the early Solar System affected the final composition of the terrestrial planets, and enstatite chondrites (EC) are thought to represent the primordial Earth’s precursors. Here, the authors show that differences between Earth and EC are due to impact erosion of >15% of the early Earth’s mass.

    • Asmaa Boujibar
    • , Denis Andrault
    •  & Julien Monteux

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Recent studies suggest that the Moon is not as volatile-poor as once thought, and that volatile elements should be concentrated in crustal materials. Here, the authors present Zn isotopic and abundance data as evidence of evaporative loss of volatiles during formation of the Moon, supporting alternative models.

    • Chizu Kato
    • , Frederic Moynier
    •  & James M.D. Day

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The atmosphere of a transiting planet shields the stellar radiation enabling size and density stratification to be estimated. Here, the authors study Venus and show that the measured radius depends on the wavelength used, which has implications for Venus’s ionosphere and may help in planning future missions.

    • Fabio Reale
    • , Angelo F. Gambino
    •  & Giuseppe Piccioni

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Extremophiles on Earth are known to respire methane, and the potential existence of methane on Mars indicates similar organisms could survive there. Here, the authors present data from Martian meteorites confirming the presence of methane, indicating that a habitat capable of supporting organisms exists on Mars.

    • Nigel J. F. Blamey
    • , John Parnell
    •  & Roberta L. Flemming

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Although magnetic reconnection is recognized as the dominant mode for solar wind plasma to enter the magnetosphere, Kelvin–Helmholtz waves (KHW) have been suggested to also be involved. Here, the authors use 7 years of THEMIS data to show that KHW occur 19% of the time, and may be important for plasma transport.

    • Shiva Kavosi
    •  & Joachim Raeder

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The origins of the Sun’s periodic activity, such as sunspot cycles, are poorly understood. McIntosh et al.posit that the rotational forcing of the activity bands comprising the 22-year magnetic cycle undergoes shorter-term variations, driving magnetic flux surges that impact solar output on those timescales.

    • Scott W. McIntosh
    • , Robert J. Leamon
    •  & Roger K. Ulrich

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Upward electrical discharges from thunderstorms were discovered recently, and only a very limited set of observations exist because they are rare and unpredictable. Here, the authors present recordings of different types of the discharge above a storm, which contradict current theories of their origins.

    • Ningyu Liu
    • , Nicholas Spiva
    •  & Steven A. Cummer

  • Article |

    Infrared spectral mapping offers the non-destructive analyses of samples; however, the spatial resolution is restricted to >10 microns. Here, the authors present a new infrared technique capable of sub-micron scale mineral identification, demonstrated using a chondrule and a cometary dust grain.

    • Gerardo Dominguez
    • , A. S. Mcleod
    •  & D. N. Basov

  • Article |

    Lonsdaleite has been used as a marker of asteroid impacts and is thought to have mechanical properties superior to diamond; however, pure lonsdaleite has not been described or fabricated. Here, the authors show that it does not exist as a discrete material and is in fact faulted and twinned cubic diamond.

    • Péter Németh
    • , Laurence A. J. Garvie
    •  & Peter R. Buseck

  • Article |

    Although observations of volcanic deposits on Mars are more accessible than ever, constraining Martian eruption styles remains a challenge. Here, the authors show that volcanic eruption style can be characterized through X-ray diffraction analysis of groundmass crystallinity in basaltic volcanic deposits.

    • Kellie T. Wall
    • , Michael C. Rowe
    •  & Jennifer D. Eccles

  • Article |

    The first-reported natural quasicrystal, found in the meteorite Khatyrka, has posed many questions regarding the extraterrestrial processes that led to its formation. Here, the authors suggest how the metallic Al- and Cu-bearing phases formed and report the discovery of other new minerals.

    • Lincoln S. Hollister
    • , Luca Bindi
    •  & Paul J. Steinhardt

  • Article |

    Despite commonly occurring on Earth and other terrestrial bodies, mass wasting processes are poorly understood, hampering hazard assessment and mitigation. Lucas and colleagues propose a universal velocity-weakening friction law capable of describing the behaviour of small to large landslides.

    • Antoine Lucas
    • , Anne Mangeney
    •  & Jean Paul Ampuero

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