Io’s internal heat is generated by Jupiter-driven tidal dissipation and Laplace resonance. This energy partially melts the mantle, but the melt fraction, depth, and spatial distribution of dissipation remain poorly […]
magma ocean
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Status Report
The Effects Of Non-ideal Mixing In Planetary Magma Oceans And Atmospheres
Sub-Neptunes with hydrogen-rich envelopes are expected to sustain long-lived magma oceans that continuously exchange volatiles with their overlying atmospheres. Capturing these interactions is key to understanding the chemical evolution and […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Status Report
The Effect of Tidal Heating and Volatile Budgets on the Outgassed Atmosphere of 55 Cancri e
55 Cancri e is a ∼8 Gyr rocky world (1.95 R⊕, 8.8 M⊕) orbiting a K-type star. JWST observations suggest a carbon-dominated atmosphere (CO2/CO) over a global magma ocean (>3000 […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Status Report
Magma Ocean Waves And Thermal Variability On Lava Worlds
Lava worlds are rocky planets with dayside skins made molten by stellar irradiation. Tidal heating on these shortest-period planets is more than skin deep.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Press Release, Radiation
Hidden Magma Oceans Could Shield Rocky Exoplanets From Harmful Radiation
Deep beneath the surface of distant exoplanets known as super-earths, oceans of molten rock may be doing something extraordinary: powering magnetic fields strong enough to shield entire planets from dangerous […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
A Window For Water-hydrogen Demixing On Warm Metal-rich Sub-Neptunes
Sub-Neptunes represent the largest exoplanet demographic, yet their bulk compositions remain poorly understood.
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Impact events, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Moon, Status Report
Onset Of Habitable Conditions On The Hadean Earth Set By Feedback Between Tides And Greenhouse Forcing
In the aftermath of the Moon-forming giant impact, the Hadean Earth’s mantle and surface crystallized from a global magma ocean blanketed by a dense volatile-rich atmosphere.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia Mission, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Experiments Show Water Creation During Planet Formation Process
Our galaxy’s most abundant type of planet could be rich in liquid water due to formative interactions between magma oceans and primitive atmospheres during their early years, according to new […]
Posted inLava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Status Report
Magma Ocean Interactions Can Explain JWST Observations Of The sub-Neptune TOI-270 d
Sub-Neptunes with substantial atmospheres may possess magma oceans in contact with the overlying gas, with chemical interactions between the atmosphere and magma playing an important role in shaping atmospheric composition.
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Impact events, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Multiple Giant Impacts and Chemical Equilibria: An Integrated Approach to Rocky Planet Formation
During the formation of rocky planets, the surface environments of growing protoplanets were dramatically different from those of present-day planets.