Ferromagmatic Intrusions on Asteroid (16) Psyche May Be Magnetized

Journal article

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: Courville, SW; Sanderson, HR; Bierson, CJ; Elkins‐Tanton, LT; Oran, R

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: American Geophysical Union
• Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
• Volume: 130
• Issue: 8
• Article number: e2025JE009031
• Publication date: 2025-08-08
• Acceptance date: 2025-06-29
• DOI: 10.1029/2025je009031
• EISSN: 2169-9100
• ISSN: 2169-9097
• Language: English
• Keywords: ferrovolcanism; Psyche; ferromagmatism; planetesimal; dynamos; magnetometry