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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 ...
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 is arguably an example of a desert planet. Gas dwarf: A low-mass planet composed primarily of hydrogen ...
Other bodies, by comparison, may or may not have differentiated, based on their formation history, radioisotope content, further energy input via bombardment, distance from the Sun, size, etc. Studying bodies of various sizes and distances from the Sun provides examples and places constraints on the differentiation process.
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 mantle is a layer inside a planetary body bounded below by a core and above by a crust. Mantles are made of rock or ices, and are generally the largest and most massive layer of the planetary body. Mantles are characteristic of planetary bodies that have undergone differentiation by density.
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]
The Goldschmidt classification, [1] [2] developed by Victor Goldschmidt (1888–1947), is a geochemical classification which groups the chemical elements within the Earth according to their preferred host phases into lithophile (rock-loving), siderophile (iron-loving), chalcophile (sulfide ore-loving or chalcogen-loving), and atmophile (gas-loving) or volatile (the element, or a compound in ...