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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology pp 1–5Cite as

Rheology, Planetary Interior

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Definition

Rheology (from the Greek words ῥɛῖ (rhei), “to flow,” and λόγος (logos), “teaching”) is the science of the flow and the deformation of matter in response to an applied stress.

Overview

Planetary interiors and surfaces are composed of solid and liquid silicate rocks, metals, and ices, which deform and flow under an applied non-hydrostatic stress σ (in [Pa]). If the applied stress is small, the material behaves elastically. This means that the material returns to its initial state after the stress is removed. Real planetary materials exhibit a plastic, nonreversible rheological component, in addition to their elastic behavior. In this case, the material does not fully return to its initial state after the stress is removed.

Plastic rheologies are characterized by a maximum stress, called yielding stress, above which perfect elasticity is lost. For nonelastic rheologies the relative deformation, called strain ɛ (dimensionless) and caused by a constant stress σ...

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References and Further Reading

  • Jaeger JC, Cook NGW, Zimmermann RW (2007) Fundamentals of rock mechanics, 4th edn. Blackwell, Oxford

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  • Karato S (2008) Deformation of Earth materials, an introduction to the rheology of solid Earth. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

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  • Karato S (2011) Rheological structure of the mantle of a super-earth: some insights from mineral physics. Icarus 212:14–23

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Karato S, Wu P (1993) Rheology of the upper mantle: a synthesis. Science 260:771–778

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  • Ranalli G (1995) Rheology of the Earth. Chapman and Hall, London

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  • Regenauer-Lieb K, Yuen DA, Branlund J (2001) The initiation of subduction: criticality by addition of water. Science 294:568–580

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  • Stamenković V et al (2011) Thermal and transport properties of mantle rock at high pressure: applications to super-Earths. Icarus 216:572–596

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  • Stamenković V et al (2012) The influence of pressure-dependent viscosity on the thermal evolution of super-Earths. Astrophys J 748:22 pp

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  • Watts AB (2001) Isostasy and flexure of the lithosphere. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Vlada Stamenković

  2. DLR, Institute of Planetary Research, Rutherfordstrasse 2, 12489, Berlin, Germany

    Frank Sohl

Authors
  1. Vlada Stamenković
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  2. Frank Sohl
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vlada Stamenković .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Stamenković, V., Sohl, F. (2014). Rheology, Planetary Interior. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1370-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1370-3

  • Received:

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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