UNIT V

SECTION 9.1 CONNECTING PLANETARY INTERIORS AND SURFACES

Interior of Terrestrial Planets
Know about Earths interior from clues given to us by seismic waves
Core: highest density, primarily made of metals
Mantle: rocky material, moderate density, mostly minerals of silicon, oxygen, and other
elements
Crust: lowest-density rock, granite, basalt, relatively thin
Gravity pulls denser material towards the bottom (differentiation)
o At one point, the whole interior would have been molten
Cores should be proportionate due to even distribution of metal and rock in early solar
system, but they are not, so there must have been giant impacts
Lithosphere: a planets outer layer (consisting mostly of crust and upper mantle)
o Cool and rigid, floats on softer rock below
o Thinner on big planets
o The thicker it is, the harder it is to break/have volcanic eruptions
The bigger the body, the more round it is b/c it will have more gravity to overcome the
strength of solid rock
Geological Activity: processes that change a planets surface long after formation
Interior heat is the primary driver
Sources of heat:
o Heat of accretion: a planetesimal approaching a forming planets gravitational
potential energy is converted to kinetic energy, which is converted to thermal
energy on impact which is transferred to the planet
o Heat from differentiation: denser material moves inward, losing GP energy, which
is converted to thermal energy by friction
o Heat from radioactive decay: particles flying off at high speeds collide with
neighboring atoms and heat them (still ongoing)
How Interiors Cool:
o Convection: hot material expands, rises and cool material contracts and shrinks
Creates convection cells
o Conduction: transfer of heat from hot material to cool material
o Radiation: photons of thermal radiation carry energy out to space
o The bigger the planet, the longer it stays hot inside
Magnetic Fields
Electrons move with molten metal in the liquid outer core, cause magnetic field
Requirements for a magnetic field:
o An interior region of electrically conducting fluid
o Convection in that layer
o At least moderately rapid rotation
Earth is only planet with one

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