The Early Earth Accretion and Differentiation

About this book

The Early Earth: Accretion and Differentiation provides a multidisciplinary overview of the state of the art in understanding the formation and primordial evolution of the Earth. The fundamental structure of the Earth as we know it today was inherited from the initial conditions 4.56 billion years ago as a consequence of planetesimal accretion, large impacts among planetary objects, and planetary-scale differentiation. The evolution of the Earth from a molten ball of metal and magma to the tectonically active, dynamic, habitable planet that we know today is unique among the terrestrial planets, and understanding the earliest processes that led to Earth's current state is the essence of The Early Earth: Accretion and Differentiation. Important results have emerged from a wide range of disciplines including cosmochemistry, geochemistry, experimental petrology, experimental and theoretical mineral physics and geodynamics.

The topics in this volume include:
- Condensation of primitive objects in the solar nebula, planetary building blocks
- Early and late accretion and planetary dynamic modeling
- Primordial differentiation, core formation, Magma Ocean evolution and crystallization

The Early Earth: Accretion and Differentiation will be a valuable resource for graduate students, academics, and researchers in the fields of geophysics, geochemistry, cosmochemistry, and planetary science.

Contents

Chapter 1: Accretion (A. Morbidelli)
Chapter 2: Dynamical Models of Differentiation (D. Stevenson)
Chapter 3: Giant Impacts (S. Stewart/R. Canup)
Chapter 4: Time Constraints on Core-Mantle Differentiation (T. Elliott)
Chapter 5: Conditions of Core Formation (J. Siebert/J. Badro/M. Walter)
Chapter 6: Processes of Core Formation (B. Wood/D. Rubie)
Chapter 7: Core Composition (E. Ohtani)
Chapter 8: Onset of the Magnetic Field (A. Fournier)
Chapter 9: Magma Ocean Dynamics (L. Elkins-Tanton)
Chapter 10: Magma Ocean Regimes (S. Labrosse)
Chapter 11: Mantle Melting and Crystallisation (L. Stixrude)                   
Chapter 12: Volatiles on Earth, Atmosphere (M. Moreira)
Chapter 13: Accretion, Volatiles, and Early Reservoirs (F. Albarede)
Chapter 14: Mantle-Crust Differentiation (G. Caro/B. Bourdon)
Chapter 15: Earliest Crusts (R. Carlson)
Chapter 16: Onset of Plate Tectonics (C.T. Lee)

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