[Baps] Elkins-Tanton seminar, Tue March 28, 2pm, CfA

[Sarah Stewart-Mukhopadhyay]

  Harvard Department of Astronomy
  Special Seminar

  TUESDAY, MARCH 28
  2:00 pm, Phillips Auditorium, 60 Garden St.

  Magma Oceans, Early Atmospheres, and Mantle Evolution in Young Terrestrial
Planets

  Dr. Linda T. Elkins-Tanton
  Brown University

  Abstract:  Significant  and  perhaps  complete  melting  of  the young
  terrestrial  planets  is  expected  from  radiogenic  heating, heat of
  accretion,  and  the  potential  energy release of core formation. The
  rate of subsequent magma ocean solidification is tempered by volatiles
  that  are  degassed to the atmosphere, where they decrease atmospheric
  transmission,  reduce  heat  flux  from  the planets surface, and slow
  solidification.   I  will  present  results  from  a  new  model  that
  integrates  silicate mantle solidification with atmospheric formation,
  linking  heat  flux,  convective  velocity,  and  cooling  rates  with
  resulting  mantle  and atmospheric compositions. Magma ocean processes
  may  be  responsible  for  initial  atmospheric  mass and composition,
  initial   mantle   heterogeneity   and  compositional  stability,  and
  formation of both an early crust and planetary magnetic field.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.mit.edu/pipermail/baps/attachments/20060326/64b130c2/attachment.htm