Other
Scientific paper
Dec 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufm.p21a1588l&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #P21A-1588
Other
[5430] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Interiors, [5480] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Volcanism
Scientific paper
The discovery of extra-solar planets, especially massive terrestrial super-Earths, prompts studies of surface and internal characteristics of super-Earths that may help characterize super-Earths and understand their surface environments and habitability. An important question is related to the formation and evolution of super-Earth’s atmosphere for which mantle degassing resulting from magmatism has important controls. Similar to terrestrial planets in our Solar system, volcanism and magmatism for super-Earths, as a form of heat release from planetary interiors, are likely controlled by the dynamics of mantle convection, and more specifically plate tectonic process and mantle upwelling plumes. However, compared with that for terrestrial planets in our Solar system, the dynamics of mantle convection for super-Earths due to their larger size and mass should be more dissipative and display larger compressibility effects. Using a radius scaling with mass for super-Earths by Valencia et al. [2007], it can be inferred that the mantle dissipation number Di for super-Earths with ~10 Earth’s mass may be 4 times larger than that for the Earth. This may lead to rapid cooling of mantle upwellings and warming of mantle downwellings for super-Earths, thus diminishing mantle buoyancy driving mantle convection. With the large dissipation number, we found that the excess temperature of mantle upwelling plumes may decrease by one order of magnitude as they ascend through the mantle, thus greatly reducing plume-related magmatism and degassing. Another important control on Super-Earth’s magmatism and degassing comes from their increased surface gravitational acceleration that for super-Earths with ~10 Earth’s mass may be three times larger than that at the Earth’s surface. This limits the melting to relatively shallow depths and within small depth ranges, thus posing additional difficulties for plume-related magmatism and degassing. This implies that degassing for super-Earths may need to rely on other mechanisms such as plate tectonic type of mantle convection. This study will also explore heat transfer for compressible mantle convection with dissipation numbers relevant to super-Earths.
Liu Xiandong
Zhong Sijia
No associations
LandOfFree
The effects of mantle compressibility on mantle dynamics, magmatism and degassing for super-Earths does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with The effects of mantle compressibility on mantle dynamics, magmatism and degassing for super-Earths, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The effects of mantle compressibility on mantle dynamics, magmatism and degassing for super-Earths will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1495393