Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Dec 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufm.p41a1582t&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #P41A-1582
Mathematics
Logic
[5455] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Origin And Evolution
Scientific paper
After MESSENGER's three flybys and entrance into orbit, clear evidence has emerged of a widespread distribution of pyroclastic deposits on Mercury's surface which indicates the presence of volatiles in the interior and a prolonged volcanic activity and crustal production. Considering a compositional model that allows for the presence of volatiles, we show numerical simulations of 2D cylindrical and 3D spherical mantle convection, focusing in particular on the influence of variable thermal conductivity on the planet's thermal evolution. We assume the existence of a primordial crust enriched in radioactive heat sources with a low thermal conductivity overlain by a thin, nearly insulating megaregolith layer that builds up progressively as a consequence of the late heavy bombardment. Beside solving the usual conservation equations of mass, momentum and thermal energy for a Boussinesq fluid, we use the particle-in-cell technique to track variations of composition due to the occurrence of partial melt. The latter is calculated by comparing local temperatures with the solidus temperature of peridotite, which, in turn, is determined in a self-consistent way, being allowed to increase, due to mineralogical changes, in regions where partial melting has already occurred. Our results indicate that if a primordial crust enriched in radioactive elements and with a low thermal conductivity is taken into account, the production of secondary crust can last up to about 1 Byr or even longer if a megaregolith layer covering the planet's surface is considered, in agreement with recent parametrized models. Furthermore, under the above conditions, we obtain an overall crustal thickness of about 150 km at the end of the planet's thermal evolution that matches well the values predicted by using the depth of faulting of lobate scarps.
Breuer Doris
Plesa A.
Tosi Nicola
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