Harnett, CE, Heap, MJ and Thomas, ME orcid.org/0000-0002-1300-177X (2020) A toolbox for identifying the expression of dome-forming volcanism on exoplanets. Planetary and Space Science, 180. 104762. ISSN 0032-0633
Abstract
The presence of volcanism is often anecdotally used to define a “living planet”. Since dome-building volcanism on Earth occurs primarily at plate boundaries, the identification of such domes could inform on exoplanetary development. Lava domes form when extruded magma is too viscous to flow from a vent, and their morphology on Earth varies from flat, pancake lobes to steep, blocky domes. Identification of lava domes on other terrestrial planets in our Solar System indicates that they likely also exist on rocky exoplanets. Here we show, using particle-based modelling, that the diversity of lava dome morphology in our Solar System is dwarfed by the diversity expected for exoplanets. Specifically, the height-to-diameter ratio of a dome decreases as a function of increasing gravity (i.e., planetary mass and radius). For example, lava domes on high-gravity super-Earths will be extremely wide and flat and a volcanic origin may not be immediately apparent. Creating a toolbox to help identify exoplanetary volcanism will allow us to make initial estimations as to the development and habitability of these alien worlds as images become available.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Exoplanet; Exogeology; Planetary volcanism; Discrete element modelling; Planet habitability; Planetary evolution; Dome emplacement |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Inst of Geophysics and Tectonics (IGT) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 27 Nov 2019 12:28 |
Last Modified: | 25 Jun 2023 22:04 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.pss.2019.104762 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:153904 |