Core formation in Terrestrial planets via global Rayleigh-Taylor destabilization

• Applicant: Dr. Martha Evonuk
• Subject Area: Geophysics
• Term: from 2010 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 186992183

Core formation is the first major differentiation event providing the initial conditions from which terrestrial planets have evolved until the present. Despite the importance of this early stage, the mechanisms leading to such a major stratification in terrestrial planets, where metal and silicates are almost perfectly separated, remain uncertain. While significant progress has been made in understanding the dynamics of several different core formation scenarios, such as negative diapirism and metal percolation through a porous matrix, very few studies have focused on modeling the dynamics of the destabilization of a global iron layer at the base of a planet-wide impact heated magma ocean. We therefore propose to study core formation via the Rayleigh-Taylor destabilization of a global iron layer, conducting the first three-dimensional numerical simulations of the destabilization of a global iron layer in a self-gravitating deformable planet. The timing for core formation, the heat partitioning between metal and silicate, and the resulting thermochemical structures will be systematically investigated. Our proposed parameter study will form the basis for deriving simple scaling laws for use in predicting the thermo-chemical state and the timing of this core formation scenario in terrestrial planets.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants