Project description
Exploring the evolutionary path of Earth and terrestrial planets
Despite advances in Earth and planetary sciences, understanding of Earth’s evolution is far from complete. While we know that plate tectonics operate on Earth, the timing of onset, length of activity, and initiation mechanisms are still uncertain. This uncertainty is amplified when exploring the evolution of other terrestrial planets. The EU-funded EvoPlans project aims to gain a better understanding of Earth and terrestrial planet evolution, quantifying the processes that affect this evolution, and how these link to control the expression of global tectonics. The goal is to determine the role of coupling between surface, atmosphere, and internal processes in controlling the tectonic and evolutionary history of a planet and address the likelihood of Earth 2.0.
Objective
It is critical to integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines in order to gain a better understanding of the Earth and other terrestrial planets evolution, as well as the effects of this evolution on the expression of surface tectonics. While plate tectonics is currently observed on Earth, both its onset and length of activity are uncertain. Here we will use models of planetary evolution to begin to understand the implications for coupled internal/surface processes through changing lid states over planetary timescales (e.g. C, H2O, and O2, cycles, generation of atmosphere, dynamo generation, and coupled lithosphere-asthenosphere evolution). Further, the internal chemical composition, heterogeneities, and initial conditions within the mantle may be critical factors in setting the evolutionary path of a planet, as such we will determine what role these heterogeneities may play in the evolution of the planet. Finally we seek to understand the controls on the dynamics of a transitional episodic-lid, a state suggested for the early Earth, such as its onset, duration, recurrence interval, and location of overturns, and use these results to assess the implications for planetary development (e.g. dynamo heat flow, generation of atmosphere). This work will begin to address the following open questions: (A) What role does the coupling of internal and surface processes have through changing lid-states? (B) What role do heterogeneities (in viscosity, radiogenics and composition) play in the evolution of the planet? (C) What controls the dynamics of the enigmatic transitional episodic-lid?
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinator
CF24 0DE Cardiff
United Kingdom