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Core formation by giant impacts
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Tonks, W. B. Melosh, H. J. |
| Copyright Year | 1991 |
| Description | Ideas about the accretion and early evolution of the Earth and the other terrestrial planets have recently undergone a number of revolutionary changes. It has become clear that giant impacts were far from rare events. In the later stages of accretion any given planetary embryo is liable to be struck several times by other bodies of up to half its own diameter. Such an impact may have the ability to trigger core formation. Traditional accretion models have had great difficulty explaining the formation of the core. If one admits the importance of infrequent large events that may melt an entire hemisphere, the core formation difficulty vanishes. Millimeter-size iron blebs in the melted region will rain out due to their density difference with the silicate melt. Core formation may not require the melting of the entire hemisphere of the planet. The conditions are explored under which impact induced core formation may occur. |
| File Size | 185289 |
| Page Count | 2 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_19920001646 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t5m954c3s |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 1991-06-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Lunar And Planetary Exploration Terrestrial Planets Hemispheres Stellar Mass Accretion Melting Pressure Effects Planetary Evolution Astronomical Models Silicates Accretion Disks Hypervelocity Impact Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports Server (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Technical Report |
