Ferromagmatic Intrusions on Asteroid (16) Psyche May Be Magnetized
Abstract NASA's Psyche mission will arrive at the metal‐rich asteroid (16) Psyche in 2029. The mission will test whether (16) Psyche is a remnant of a melted, differentiated planetesimal that formed a molten iron metallic core. Previous studies have suggested that a molten metallic core fluid could erupt volcanically, explaining the high metal content of (16) Psyche's surface. Here we describe an origin story for (16) Psyche using thermal and compositional evolution modeling that outlines when ferrovolcanism could occur. We highlight how Psyche's Magnetometer could detect remanent magnetization associated with mantle intrusions of the core metal.
Authors
- D. A. Williams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7930-9347)
- C. T. Russell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1639-8298)
- Hannah Sanderson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5842-6985)
- L. T. Elkins‐Tanton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4008-1098)
- J. G. O’Rourke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1180-996X)
- Samuel W. Courville (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9539-1301)
- R. Oran (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6419-552X)
- C. J. Bierson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6840-7187)
- B. P. Weiss (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3113-3415)
Institutions
- Scottsdale Community College (US)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Arizona State University (US)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Geophysical Research Planets
- Published
- 2025-08-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1029/2025je009031
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Astro and Planetary Science
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.46
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- University of Oxford
- Natural Environment Research Council