Initiation of Plate Tectonics on Exoplanets with Significant Tidal Stress

摘要: Plate tectonics is a geophysical process currently unique to Earth, has an important role in regulating the Earth's climate, and may be better understood by identifying rocky planets outside our solar system with tectonic activity. The key criterion for whether or not plate occur on terrestrial planet if stress planet's lithosphere from mantle convection overcome lithosphere's yield stress. Although many exoplanets closely orbiting their host stars have been detected, all studies date of neglected tidal stresses lithosphere. Modeling exoplanet as constant density, homogeneous, incompressible sphere, we show star acting close-in become comparable convection. We also that planet-planet interactions are unlikely significant tectonics, but strong enough trigger Earthquakes. Our work imply close more likely experience implications exoplanetary geophysics habitability. produce list detected under most intense stresses. Atmospheric topographic observations confirm predictions near future. Investigations can only lead observable parameters linked presence active used tool test theories main driving force behind