Radiogenic heating sustains long-lived volcanism and magnetic dynamos in super-Earths.

Abstract

Radiogenic heat production is fundamental to the energy budget of planets. Roughly half of the heat that Earth loses through its surface today comes from the three long-lived, heat-producing elements (potassium, thorium, and uranium). These three elements have long been believed to be highly lithophile and thus concentrate in the mantle of rocky planets. However, our study shows that they all become siderophile under the pressure and temperature conditions relevant to the core formation of large rocky planets dubbed super-Earths. Mantle convection in super-Earths is then primarily driven by heating from the core rather than by a mix of internal heating and cooling from above as in Earth. Partitioning these sources of radiogenic heat into the core remarkably increases the core-mantle boundary (CMB) temperature and the total heat flow across the CMB in super-Earths. Consequently, super-Earths are likely to host long-lived volcanism and strong magnetic dynamos.