Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufm.p11b1596c&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #P11B-1596
Physics
[5418] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Heat Flow, [6221] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Europa, [6024] Planetary Sciences: Comets And Small Bodies / Interiors
Scientific paper
The thermal history of Enceladus is complex and dependent on many factors that are not precisely known, such as the level of differentiation of the interior and initial temperatures of the mantle. Previous models investigated radiogenic heating and thermal convection independently; however, the processes have not yet been considered jointly to construct possible thermal histories of Enceladus. Our models simulate thermal histories of the moon that include both long-lived isotope decay based on a chondritic rock composition and icy mantle convection. We do not consider convection within the core. The analyses incorporate various core sizes, ice-rock ratios and initial mantle temperature to determine if the mantle reaches the melting point of water at 273 K. Core radii analyzed include 0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 km with the percentage of rock material in the core equal to from 0 to 100%. Starting temperatures of the mantle range from 1 to 272 K. For all cases, results indicate that melting would not occur during Enceladus' history. However, if the heat released at the surface is decreased to ~10% or less of its expected output, then melting does occur for an undifferentiated body. Also, based on observations by Cassini, the interior of Enceladus may contain ammonia, which would lower the melt temperature to ~173 K. The lower melting temperature would increase the likelihood of a liquid layer within the interior as well as enabling a longer liquid existence of the layer. Additionally, the effects of tidal heating might provide an adequate amount of heat to raise the temperatures above melting. Future work will investigate the effects of ammonia and tidal heating on the thermal history of Enceladus.
Craft K.
King David S.
Lowell Robert P.
Sekhar P.
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