While the field of noble gas reactivity essentially belongs to chemistry, Earth and planetary sciences have brought a different perspective to the field. Indeed, our understanding of atmosphere formation essentially relies on noble gases and their isotopes, xenon being a key tracer of the early planetary stages. As such, the behaviour of xenon at the high pressure and temperature conditions relevant of planetary interiors has received significant attention over the last 20 years.
This talk will cover the crystal-chemistry of xenon in silicates at depth, its impact on xenon elemental and isotopic fractionation, and what does the enigmatic atmospheric depletion in xenon and its light isotopes for the Earth and Mars tell us about planetary formation.