Thermal convection in the crust of the dwarf planet (1) Ceres
M.Formisano, C.Federico, J.Castillo-Rogez, M.C. De Sanctis, G.Magni
Ceres is the largest body in the Main Belt, and it is characterized by a large abundance of water ice in its interior. This feature is suggested by its relatively low bulk density (2162 kg m−3), while its partial differentiation into a rocky core and icy crust is suggested by several geological and geochemical features: minerals and salts produced by aqueous alteration, icy patches on the surface, lobate morphology interpreted as surface flows. In this work we explore how the composition can influence the characteristics of thermal convection in the crust of Ceres. Our results suggest that the onset of thermal convection is difficult and when it occurs it is short lived and this could imply that Ceres preserved deep liquid until present, as recent suggested by the work of Castillo-Rogez et al.. Moreover, cryovolcanism could be driven by diapirism (chemical convection) rather than thermal convection.
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
Journal reference: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Main Journal, 2020
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/staa1115
Cite as: arXiv:2004.10504 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:2004.10504v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
Submission history
From: Michelangelo Formisano
[v1] Wed, 22 Apr 2020 11:37:24 UTC (2,375 KB)
