Schematic depiction of the primary convection regimes observed or theorized on terrestrial planets in the Solar System. (IMAGE)
Caption
Schematic depiction of the primary convection regimes observed or theorized on terrestrial planets in the Solar System. The 3 end-members, in this representation, are plate tectonics, stagnant lid, and plutonic-squishy lid. Episodic lid is an intermediate regime between plate tectonics and stagnant lid. While the current regimes of Earth, Mercury, and Mars are well defined, Venus is still uncertain and could range from episodic lid to plutonic-squishy lid or may have transitioned recently (a few hundreds of million years) into stagnant lid. Mercury is in a later stage of stagnant lid compared to Mars because it has cooled down significantly faster. The state of the convection regimes of the planets should not be considered static. Instead, it evolves with time, and the figure can be interpreted as a snapshot of their present-day state. The axis are not fully independent and should be thought of as possible observables. The convection regime figures are adapted from.
Credit
Space: Science & Technology
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