Sulfur in the Moon and Mercury

TL;DR

This paper reviews sulfur distribution and behavior on the Moon and Mercury, highlighting recent findings, processes, and future research directions based on lunar samples and MESSENGER data.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive synthesis of sulfur data on the Moon and Mercury, including new insights from recent missions and samples, and discusses future research prospects.

Findings

High sulfur abundances on Mercury up to 4 wt.%

Sulfur occurs mainly as sulfides in low oxygen fugacity environments

Future missions like BepiColombo will enhance understanding of sulfur processes

Abstract

This chapter presents a comprehensive overview of the abundances and distribution of S, and the processes that control the behavior of S on the Earth's Moon and on Mercury. The two planetary bodies share notable similarities, such as lacking substantial atmospheres and featuring surfaces with high numbers of impact craters. Both objects are at variably low oxygen fugacities (fO2), where S occurs only in its reduced state as S2-, and forms sulfides. For the Moon, we present a compilation of 55 years of lunar sample analysis, from Apollo 11 to Chang'e 5, including S concentrations and isotopic compositional data. We discuss processes from S in the lunar interior to volcanic degassing from mare basalts and in pyroclastic eruptions. At the beginning of a lunar science renaissance, we highlight where future research into S on the Moon might lead. The knowledge of S on Mercury is almost entirely based on observations by the NASA MESSENGER mission, operational from 2011 to 2014. MESSENGER observed very high S abundances on Mercury with concentrations of up to 4 wt.%. We discuss proposed mechanisms that lead to the high S abundance on Mercury's surface and discuss implications for the planet's interior. Finally, we provide an outlook on how the upcoming ESA/JAXA BepiColombo will advance our understanding of Mercury and the processes controlling S on the planet.