New Dimension on Creation of Planets Earth and Mars

Scientists have shed light upon the sequential events that led to the creation of planets Earth and Mars. They analyzed a mixture of earth samples and meteorites to bring out this new dimension.  The scientists were from the University of Bristol.

Planets grow by a chaotic process of accretion. It is a process wherein there is a gradual accumulation of additional material. In this the material combines by collision with their neighbors. The process often leads to loosing and gaining of material. Huge planetary bodies impacting at several kilometers per second produce substantial heat. This, in turn, generates magma oceans and temporary atmospheres of vaporized rock. The gravitational attraction is extremely weak before planets reach to approximately the size of Mars to hold onto this harsh silicate atmosphere. The composition of planet changes substantially by the repeated loss of this vapor envelope during continued collisional growth.

The research was led by Dr Remco Hin from the University of Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences which got published on 27^th September, 2017 in Nature.

By: Bhavna Sharma

Content: www.sciencedaily.com