An interconnected network of core-forming melts produced by shear deformation

The formation mechanism of terrestrial planetary cores is still poorly understood, and has been the subject of numerous experimental studies1,2,3. Several mechanisms have been proposed by which metal—mainly iron with some nickel—could have been extracted from a silicate mantle to form the core. Most recent models involve gravitational sinking of molten metal or metal sulphide through a partially or fully molten mantle4,5 that is often referred to as a ‘magma ocean’. Alternative models invoke percolation of molten metal along an interconnected network (that is, porous flow) through a solid silicate matrix6,7. But experimental studies performed at high pressures1,2,3 have shown that, under hydrostatic conditions, these melts do not form an interconnected network, leading to the widespread assumption that formation of metallic cores requires a magma ocean. In contrast, here we present experiments which demonstrate that shear deformation to large strains can interconnect a significant fraction of initially isolated pockets of metal and metal sulphide melts in a solid matrix of polycrystalline olivine. Therefore, in a dynamic (non-hydrostatic) environment, percolation remains a viable mechanism for the segregation and migration of core-forming melts in a solid silicate mantle.