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The layers of the Earth, a differentiated planetary body. In planetary science, planetary differentiation is the process by which the chemical elements of a planetary body accumulate in different areas of that body, due to their physical or chemical behavior (e.g. density and chemical affinities).
The rain-out model is a model of planetary science that describes the first stage of planetary differentiation and core formation. According to this model, a planetary body is assumed to be composed primarily of silicate minerals and NiFe (i.e. a mixture of nickel and iron). If temperatures within this body reach about 1500 K, the minerals and ...
Core formation, also referred to as metal-silicate differentiation, is the separation of metallic components from silicate in the magma that sink to form a planetary core. [1] Accretionary impacts that produce heat for the melting of planet embryos and large terrestrial planets have an estimated timescale of tens to hundreds of millions of years.
A theoretical planet that has undergone planetary differentiation but has no metallic core. Not to be confused with the Hollow Earth concept. Desert planet: A terrestrial planet with an arid surface consistency similar to Earth's deserts. Mars: Gas dwarf: A low-mass planet composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. GJ 1214 b: Gas giant
A major source of differentiation is fractionation, an unequal distribution of elements and isotopes. This can be the result of chemical reactions, phase changes, kinetic effects, or radioactivity. [1]: 2–3 On the largest scale, planetary differentiation is a physical and chemical separation of a planet into chemically distinct regions. For ...
A planetary core acts as a heat source for the outer layers of a planet. In the Earth, the heat flux over the core mantle boundary is 12 terawatts. [30] This value is calculated from a variety of factors: secular cooling, differentiation of light elements, Coriolis forces, radioactive decay, and latent heat of crystallization. [30]
Mars is a terrestrial planet, which has undergone the process of planetary differentiation. The InSight lander mission is designed to study the deep interior of Mars. [8] The mission landed on 26 November 2018. [9] and deployed a sensitive seismometer to enable 3D structure mapping of the deep interior. [10]
Chondrites were formed by the accretion of particles of dust and grit present in the primitive Solar System which gave rise to asteroids over 4.54 billion years ago. These asteroid parent bodies of chondrites are (or were) small to medium-sized asteroids that were never part of any body large enough to undergo melting and planetary differentiation.