A Note on Planet Size and Cooling Rate

Abstract

Variation in the balance of forces that drive and resist tectonic plate motions allows small terrestrial planet to cooler slower than larger ones. Given that interior cooling affects surface environment, through volcanic/geologic activity, this indicates that small planets should not be down-weighted in the search for life beyond Earth.

Submitted as note to Icarus

References in corpus (4)

• Habitable Zones Around Main-Sequence Stars: Dependence on Planetary Mass
• Inevitability of Plate Tectonics on Super-Earths
• Radius and Structure models for the First Super-Earth Planet
• The persistence of oceans on Earth-like planets: insights from the deep-water cycle

Cited by in corpus (1)

• The role of planetary interior in the long-term evolution of atmospheric CO2 on Earth-like exoplanets