Privileged Planet: oxygen's role in planetary development (Introduction)

by David Turell , Monday, January 10, 2022, 18:53 (1049 days ago) @ David Turell

More oxygen allows for easier melting of rock:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/exoplanets-oxygen-rocks-melt-geological-active

"Laboratory experiments show that rocks exposed to higher concentrations of oxygen melt at lower temperatures than rocks exposed to lower amounts. The finding suggests that oxygen-rich rocky exoplanets could have a thick layer of soupy mantle, possibly giving rise to a geologically active world, researchers report in the Nov. 9 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"A gooey interior is thought to have profound effects on a rocky planet. Molten rock deep within a planet is the magma that powers geologic activity on the surface, like what happens on Earth (SN: 7/31/13). During volcanic eruptions, volatiles such as water vapor and carbon dioxide can fizzle out of the magmatic ooze, setting up atmospheres that are potentially friendly to life (SN: 9/3/19). But the factors that drive mantle melting on Earth aren’t well-understood, and scientists have tended to focus on the role of metals, such as iron.

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"Just as salt lowers the melting temperature of ice, oxygen similarly makes it easier for rocks to melt, the researchers conclude. Lin hypothesizes that oxygen can break up long chains of silicon and oxygen atoms in solid rock, coaxing them to form smaller bits. These fragments are more mobile and can flow more easily compared to the longer, tangly groups."

Comment: More evidence of how God evolved a planet for life. First photosynthesis, lots of O2, then floating continents on magma with all the results of subduction processes and cycles, all shown to support life.