Influence of Compositional Structure on Planetary Geological Evolution

olcanic, tectonic, and magnetic processes are responsible for many important features of the Earth, such as the presence of an atmosphere and oceans, continents and mountains, and shielding of the surface from solar radiation. These same geological processes have acted on many rocky planetary bodies (planets and large moons) but with different results. Heat deep within planetary interiors provides the energy that drives volcanic, tectonic (including global expansion and contraction), and magnetic activity, strongly modulated by compositional layering and heating by radioactive elements. This talk will explore how a planet’s compositional structure (e.g., core, mantle, crust), especially the location of heat-producing elements, influences its geological evolution, with a particular focus on Mercury, the Moon, and Mars.