Geodynamics of super-Earth GJ 486b

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Meier, Tobias G., Bower, Dan J., Lichtenberg, Tim, Hammond, Mark, Tackley, Paul J., Pierrehumbert, Raymond T., Caballero, José A., Tsai, Shang-Min, Mansfield, Megan Weiner, Tosi, Nicola, Baumeister, Philipp
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Meier, Tobias G.
Bower, Dan J.
Lichtenberg, Tim
Hammond, Mark
Tackley, Paul J.
Pierrehumbert, Raymond T.
Caballero, José A.
Tsai, Shang-Min
Mansfield, Megan Weiner
Tosi, Nicola
Baumeister, Philipp
author_facet Meier, Tobias G.
Bower, Dan J.
Lichtenberg, Tim
Hammond, Mark
Tackley, Paul J.
Pierrehumbert, Raymond T.
Caballero, José A.
Tsai, Shang-Min
Mansfield, Megan Weiner
Tosi, Nicola
Baumeister, Philipp
contents Many super-Earths are on very short orbits around their host star and, therefore, more likely to be tidally locked. Because this locking can lead to a strong contrast between the dayside and nightside surface temperatures, these super-Earths could exhibit mantle convection patterns and tectonics that could differ significantly from those observed in the present-day solar system. The presence of an atmosphere, however, would allow transport of heat from the dayside towards the nightside and thereby reduce the surface temperature contrast between the two hemispheres. On rocky planets, atmospheric and geodynamic regimes are closely linked, which directly connects the question of atmospheric thickness to the potential interior dynamics of the planet. Here, we study the interior dynamics of super-Earth GJ 486b ($R=1.34$ $R_{\oplus}$, $M=3.0$ $M_{\oplus}$, T$_\mathrm{eq}\approx700$ K), which is one of the most suitable M-dwarf super-Earth candidates for retaining an atmosphere produced by degassing from the mantle and magma ocean. We investigate how the geodynamic regime of GJ 486b is influenced by different surface temperature contrasts by varying possible atmospheric circulation regimes. We also investigate how the strength of the lithosphere affects the convection pattern. We find that hemispheric tectonics, the surface expression of degree-1 convection with downwellings forming on one hemisphere and upwelling material rising on the opposite hemisphere, is a consequence of the strong lithosphere rather than surface temperature contrast. Anchored hemispheric tectonics, where downwellings und upwellings have a preferred (day/night) hemisphere, is favoured for strong temperature contrasts between the dayside and nightside and higher surface temperatures.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2408_10851
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Geodynamics of super-Earth GJ 486b
Meier, Tobias G.
Bower, Dan J.
Lichtenberg, Tim
Hammond, Mark
Tackley, Paul J.
Pierrehumbert, Raymond T.
Caballero, José A.
Tsai, Shang-Min
Mansfield, Megan Weiner
Tosi, Nicola
Baumeister, Philipp
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Geophysics
Many super-Earths are on very short orbits around their host star and, therefore, more likely to be tidally locked. Because this locking can lead to a strong contrast between the dayside and nightside surface temperatures, these super-Earths could exhibit mantle convection patterns and tectonics that could differ significantly from those observed in the present-day solar system. The presence of an atmosphere, however, would allow transport of heat from the dayside towards the nightside and thereby reduce the surface temperature contrast between the two hemispheres. On rocky planets, atmospheric and geodynamic regimes are closely linked, which directly connects the question of atmospheric thickness to the potential interior dynamics of the planet. Here, we study the interior dynamics of super-Earth GJ 486b ($R=1.34$ $R_{\oplus}$, $M=3.0$ $M_{\oplus}$, T$_\mathrm{eq}\approx700$ K), which is one of the most suitable M-dwarf super-Earth candidates for retaining an atmosphere produced by degassing from the mantle and magma ocean. We investigate how the geodynamic regime of GJ 486b is influenced by different surface temperature contrasts by varying possible atmospheric circulation regimes. We also investigate how the strength of the lithosphere affects the convection pattern. We find that hemispheric tectonics, the surface expression of degree-1 convection with downwellings forming on one hemisphere and upwelling material rising on the opposite hemisphere, is a consequence of the strong lithosphere rather than surface temperature contrast. Anchored hemispheric tectonics, where downwellings und upwellings have a preferred (day/night) hemisphere, is favoured for strong temperature contrasts between the dayside and nightside and higher surface temperatures.
title Geodynamics of super-Earth GJ 486b
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Geophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.10851