Senior Project Advisor
Asmaa Boujibar
Document Type
Project
Publication Date
Spring 2023
Keywords
Planetary science, exoplanets, geophysics, geochemistry, interdisciplinary science
Abstract
Internal heating in terrestrial planets is a fundamental physical process controlling the internal structure of a planet, mantle convection, volcanic activity, and the generation of magnetic fields. Internal heating results from various processes including radioactive decay and accretional energy, as well as additional irradiation and tidal heating in planets with short orbital periods. The largest long-term heat source for terrestrial planets is radioactive heating, especially from the decay of uranium (U), thorium (Th), and potassium (K) isotopes. K is a moderately volatile element, while U and Th are refractory elements; during planetary accretion volatiles are depleted relative to refractory elements, but the extent of depletion from planet to planet depends on many factors including orbital radii and the rate of accretion during formation. Therefore, the amount of K present in a given body has significant implications for its thermal evolution. Through combining compositional trends observed in chondrites and planets with models of planetary differentiation and thermal evolution, we examine the role volatile depletion plays in radioactive heat generation and estimate the resulting amount of heat production. Additionally, we carry out heat flow calculations using the Virtual Planet Simulator (VPlanet) to relate radioactive heating to planetary thermal structure and compare our results to bulk planet heat flow.
Department
Physics/Astronomy
Recommended Citation
Jones, Ula and Boujibar, Asmaa, "The role of volatile enrichment in the radiogenic heating and thermal evolution of rocky exoplanets" (2023). WWU Honors College Senior Projects. 705.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwu_honors/705
Subjects - Topical (LCSH)
Planetary science; Extrasolar planets; Geophysics; Geochemistry
Type
Text
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf