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నైరూప్య

Radioactive Elements May Be Crucial To The Habitability of Rocky Planets

Chandra Shekhar Kapoor

These illustrations show three versions of a rocky planet with different amounts of internal heating from radioactive elements. The middle planet is earth-like, with plate tectonics and an internal dynamo generating a magnetic field. The top planet, with more radiogenic heating, has extreme volcanism but no dynamo or magnetic field. The bottom planet with less radiogenic heating, is geologically “dead,” with no volcanism.