The deep interior of Venus, Mars, and the Earth: A brief review and the need for planetary surface-based measurements

2011 ◽  
Vol 59 (10) ◽  
pp. 1048-1061 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine Mocquet ◽  
Pascal Rosenblatt ◽  
Véronique Dehant ◽  
Olivier Verhoeven
Keyword(s):  
Planetary Surface ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Deep Interior

1. What is geophysics?

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
William Lowrie
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Fields ◽  
Physical Properties ◽  
Complex Behaviour ◽  
Tectonic Plates ◽  
Natural Processes ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Deep Interior ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Geophysical Investigations

Geophysics is a field of earth sciences that uses the methods of physics to investigate the complex physical properties of the Earth and the natural processes that have determined and continue to govern its evolution. ‘What is geophysics?’ explains how geophysical investigations cover a wide range of research fields—including planetary gravitational and magnetic fields and seismology—extending from surface changes that can be observed from Earth-orbiting satellites to complex behaviour in the Earth’s deep interior. The timescale of processes occurring in the Earth also has a very broad range, from earthquakes lasting a few seconds to the motions of tectonic plates that take place over tens of millions of years.

Materials Science of the Earth's Deep Interior

MRS Bulletin ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 30-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Navrotsky ◽  
D.J. Weidner ◽  
R.C. Liebermann ◽  
C.T. Prewitt
Keyword(s):  
Materials Science ◽  
Basic Question ◽  
Material System ◽  
Sound Waves ◽  
Outer Planets ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Deep Interior ◽  
Direct Sampling ◽  
Deep Earth ◽  
Vertical Temperature Distribution

Man has walked on the moon, sent probes to or near the surfaces of Mars and Venus, and dispatched vehicles to fly near comets, asteroids, and the outer planets and their moons. In contrast, a journey to the center of the Earth remains as unattainable and fictional as in Jules Verne's day. We know the interior of our planet from several types of evidence: direct sampling of rock brought to the surface by geologic process from depths no greater than 200 km, remote sensing especially by seismology (the study of natural or anthropogenic sound waves passing through the Earth), inferences from the chemistry of meteorites and from other geochemical arguments, and laboratory and computational simulations of the conditions at depth. The laboratory study of Earth materials at high temperatures and pressures is the subject of this review. In a sense, the basic question of deep earth geophysics is a peculiar sort of inverse problem in materials science; rather than determining the properties of a given material, one seeks to find materials, under constraints of natural elemental abundances, which have properties consistent with seismological and other geophysical observations.What are the “hard facts” about planet Earth as a material system? Its radius and mass are well constrained, as are pressure and density as a function of depth (see Figure 1). Its vertical temperature distribution is less well known, but it is clear that the interior is hot, with temperatures in the mantle reaching perhaps 3000 K and in the core perhaps 6000–7000 K.

scholarly journals In situ Investigations from Spinels under high pressure and high Temperatures

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (a1) ◽  
pp. C398-C398
Author(s):  
Michael Wehber ◽  
Frank Schilling ◽  
Christian Lathe ◽  
Hans Mueller
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Volume Change ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Ambient Temperatures ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Deep Interior ◽  
State Apparatus ◽  
Temperature And Pressure ◽  
Murnaghan Equation

Spinels seem to be important constituents of the deep interior of the Earth while transition with spinel or pseudospinel structure strongly influence the dynamic of the mantle. On the other hand, spinels are widely used as artificial material. The spinels Magnetite, Franklinite, and Gahnite are investigated at the Hamburger Synchrotron Laboratory (HASYLAB) at Hamburg. The experiments were carried out using the high pressure multi anvil devices MAX80 (F2.1 Beamline) and MAX200x (W2 Beamline). The MAX80 is a single state apparatus located at a bending magnet, MAX200x is a double state system located at a wiggler. Energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction in combination with Rietveld refinement [1, 2] was used to determine the pressure and temperature induced volume change. Isothermal experiments were performed up to 15 GPa at ambient temperature. The temperature and pressure dependent volume change were derived from compression experiments using MAX80 apparatus up to 5 GPa at temperatures of 298, 500, 700, 900 and 1100 K. Bulk moduli at ambient temperatures using a Birch-Murnaghan equation of state result in KT=184(7) GPa with K'=4.5(2) for Magnetite, KT =178(6) with K'=4.6(4) for Franklinite, and KT =204(9) with K'=4.9(6) for Gahnite.

scholarly journals Creasy and Wu Receive 2019 Study of the Earth’s Deep Interior Section Award for Graduate Research

Eos ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Fall Meeting ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Graduate Research ◽  
Deep Interior ◽  
Planetary Bodies

Neala Marie Creasy and Wenbo Wu received the 2019 Study of the Earth’s Deep Interior Section Award for Graduate Research at AGU’s Fall Meeting 2019, held 9–13 December in San Francisco, Calif. The award is given annually for advances that contribute to “the understanding of the deep interior of the Earth or other planetary bodies using a broad range of observational, experimental, or theoretical approaches.”

scholarly journals Lau and O'Rourke Receive 2016 Study of the Earth's Deep Interior Focus Group Graduate Research Award

Eos ◽  
2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Fall Meeting ◽  
Research Award ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Graduate Research ◽  
Deep Interior ◽  
American Geophysical ◽  
American Geophysical Union

Harriet Lau and Joseph O'Rourke will receive the 2016 Study of the Earth's Deep Interior Focus Group Graduate Research Award at the 2016 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, to be held 12–16 December in San Francisco, Calif. This award is given annually for advances that contribute to the understanding of the deep interior of the Earth or other planetary bodies using a broad range of observational, experimental, and/or theoretical approaches.

Geology: A Very Short Introduction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Zalasiewicz
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Metamorphic Petrology ◽  
Short Introduction ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Deep Interior ◽  
Petrology And Geochemistry

Geology: A Very Short Introduction provides a concise introduction to the fascinating field of geology. Describing how the science began, it looks at the key discoveries that have transformed it, before delving into the modern science and its various subfields, such as sedimentology, tectonics, and stratigraphy. Analysing the geological foundations of the Earth, this VSI explains the interlocking studies of tectonics, geophysics, igneous and metamorphic petrology, and geochemistry and describes the geology of both the deep interior and surface of the Earth. Considering the role and importance of geology in the finding and exploitation of resources, it also discusses its place in environmental issues and in tackling problems associated with climate change.

scholarly journals Phase Relations in MAFSH System up to 21 GPa: Implications for Water Cycles in Martian Interior

Minerals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 559
Author(s):  
Chaowen Xu ◽  
Toru Inoue
Keyword(s):  
Phase Relation ◽  
Phase Relations ◽  
Lower Pressure ◽  
Martian Surface ◽  
Hydrous Minerals ◽  
Transition Pressure ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Deep Interior ◽  
Water Cycles

To elucidate the water cycles in iron-rich Mars, we investigated the phase relation of a water-undersaturated (2 wt.%) analog of Martian mantle in simplified MgO-Al2O3-FeO-SiO2-H2O (MAFSH) system between 15 and 21 GPa at 900–1500 °C using a multi-anvil apparatus. Results showed that phase E coexisting with wadsleyite or ringwoodite was at least stable at 15–16.5 GPa and below 1050 °C. Phase D coexisted with ringwoodite at pressures higher than 16.5 GPa and temperatures below 1100 °C. The transition pressure of the loop at the wadsleyite-ringwoodite boundary shifted towards lower pressure in an iron-rich system compared with a hydrous pyrolite model of the Earth. Some evidence indicates that water once existed on the Martian surface on ancient Mars. The water present in the hydrous crust might have been brought into the deep interior by the convecting mantle. Therefore, water might have been transported to the deep Martian interior by hydrous minerals, such as phase E and phase D, in cold subduction plates. Moreover, it might have been stored in wadsleyite or ringwoodite after those hydrous materials decomposed when the plates equilibrated thermally with the surrounding Martian mantle.

The Tectonic Plates are Moving!

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy Livermore
Keyword(s):  
Plate Tectonics ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Short Article ◽  
Tectonic Plates ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Deep Interior ◽  
Two Generations ◽  
The 1960S

Written in a witty and informal style, this book explains modern plate tectonics in a non-technical manner, showing not only how it accounts for phenomena such as great earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, but also how it controls conditions at the Earth’s surface, including global geography and climate, making it suitable for life. The book presents the advances that have been made since the establishment of plate tectonics in the 1960s, highlighting, on the fiftieth anniversary of the theory, the contributions of a small number of scientists who have never been widely recognized for their discoveries. Beginning with the publication of a short article in Nature by Vine and Matthews, the book traces the development of plate tectonics through two generations of the theory. First-generation plate tectonics covers the exciting scientific revolution of the 1960s, its heroes, and its villains. The second generation includes the rapid expansions in sonar, satellite, and seismic technologies during the 1980s and 1990s that provided a truly global view of the plates and their motions, and an appreciation of the role of their within the Earth system. Arriving at the cutting edge of the science, the latest results from studies using techniques such as seismic tomography and mineral physics to probe the deep interior are discussed and the prospects for finding plate tectonics on other planets assessed. Ultimately, the book leads to the startling conclusion that, without plate tectonics, the Earth would be as lifeless as Venus.

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