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Investigating the likelihood of plate tectonics with planet mass using 2D numerical models of mantle convection.
PhD project title:
Exploring Tectonic Regimes on Diverse Rocky Exoplanets: Effects of Planet Mass and Magmatism.
Project description:
The search and understanding of exoplanets may reveal valuable insights into planet formation and evolution, as well as the possibility of finding habitable worlds. Besides the presence of liquid water and suitable surface temperatures, both necessary for life as we know it, plate tectonics has also been suggested to be a key component of habitability. Large rocky exoplanets, known as "super-Earths”, are common in our galaxy, leading to extensive research into their interior dynamics and surface processes. However, it remains unclear whether plate tectonics (also called ‘mobile lid’) becomes more likely with increasing planetary mass, or if other tectonic regimes, such as episodic or stagnant lid, become more prevalent. Many studies focus on simplified mantle convection models that exclude factors like mantle melting, crustal production, variations in surface temperatures, and intrusive magmatism.
In this project, we model mantle convection using the StagYY code in a two-dimensional spherical annulus geometry. We investigate the tectonic behaviour of different-sized planets and build a regime diagram. The main parameters explored include planetary mass, magmatic intrusion/extrusion ratios, surface yield stress, and surface temperature. These computational simulations will not only deepen our understanding of planetary interior dynamics but also inform us about the possible tectonic modes that may exist on terrestrial exoplanets