Subsurface Gas Deposit Could Deflate Theory of How Earth's Atmosphere Formed

A precision analysis of gases from Earth's mantle collected at a geologic formation in the U.S. Southwest points to a source for the gas that more closely resembles carbonaceous meteorites than it does the sun. If confirmed by further research, the new study would challenge a theoretical model for atmosphere formation in which Earth began with two reservoirs of solar gas captured during the planet's formation and youth--one surrounding the planet, the other buried beneath the surface. [More]

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