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Ferrovolcanism: Iron Volcanism on Metallic Asteroids
Jacob N H Abrahams1, Francis Nimmo1
1Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064.
Geophysical Research Letters
|February 6, 2020
Summary
Metallic asteroids likely experienced iron volcanism as they cooled. This process, driven by density differences and faulting, shaped their evolution and surface features.
Area of Science:
- Planetary Science
- Asteroid Science
- Geophysics
Background:
- Metallic asteroids represent the molten cores of disrupted planetesimals.
- These cores are expected to have cooled from the outside inward, forming a solid crust.
- The density difference between the solidifying crust and the underlying melt drives melt migration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential for iron volcanism on metallic asteroids.
- To understand the mechanisms facilitating melt migration to the surface.
- To discuss the implications of iron volcanism for asteroid evolution and appearance.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical modeling of cooling processes in metallic bodies.
- Analysis of stress generation and relief through thrust faulting.
- Simulation of melt migration dynamics within a solidifying crust.
Main Results:
- Predicts that iron volcanism occurred on metallic asteroids during their cooling phase.
- Identifies thrust faulting as a key mechanism for melt to reach the surface.
- Suggests density-driven migration of molten iron toward the surface.
Conclusions:
- Iron volcanism is a plausible process in the thermal evolution of metallic asteroids.
- This volcanism significantly influenced the internal structure and surface morphology of these bodies.
- Understanding this process is crucial for interpreting observations of metallic asteroids.
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