AST101H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Mantle Convection, Volcanism, Basalt
10 Apr 2016
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AST101H1 Full Course Notes
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Note lithosphere is a planet"s outer layer of relatively cool and rigid rock. Accretion: upon impact, kinetic energy -> thermal [initial source of heat] Differentiation: light materials rise to surface and dense materials fall to core. Radioactivity: mass-energy contained in nuclei -> thermal. Convection: hot material expands and rises, cooler materials contracts and falls; transfers heat upwards. Conduction: transfers heat from hot to cool material; carries heat to the surface. Craters are about 10 times wider than object that made them. Reveals geological age [more craters->older surface i. e. looks the same as it did billions of years ago] Volcanism: eruption of molten rock onto surface. When molten rock finds a path through to the surface -> lava. Outgassing: releases gas from interior of planet into the atmosphere. Virtually all the gas in the atmosphere + water vapour that formed oceans came from outgassing. Tectonics: disruption of planet"s surface by internal stresses.
