Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Aug 1976
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1976icar...28..509s&link_type=abstract
Icarus, vol. 28, Aug. 1976, p. 509-521.
Mathematics
Logic
36
Cores, Liquid Metals, Mercury (Planet), Planetary Structure, Astronomical Models, Dynamo Theory, Heat Sources, Planetary Magnetic Fields, Planetary Surfaces, Planetology, Vertical Distribution
Scientific paper
Some questions dealing with the nature and history of a large metallic core within Mercury are considered. These include the existence of a core, its size, whether it is fluid or solid, the timescale for core formation, the geological consequences of core formation, and whether such consequences are consistent with the surface geology. Several indirect lines of evidence are discussed which suggest the presence of a large iron-rich core. A core-formation model is examined in which core infall is accompanied by an increase of 17 km in planetary radius, an increase of 700 K in mean internal temperature, and substantial melting of the mantle. It is argued that if the core differentiated from an originally homogeneous planet, that event must have predated the oldest geological units comprising most of the planetary surface. A convective dynamo model for the source of Mercury's magnetic field is shown to conflict with cosmochemical models that do not predict a substantial radiogenic heat source in the core.
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