School Seminar - Core Formation and Evolution, and the Puzzle of Mercury's Core - George Helffrich

We are pleased to announce a School Seminar by George Helffrich on the topic of: Core Formation and Evolution, and the Puzzle of Mercury's Core.

Abstract:

This talk covers a variety of personal research topics pursued in the past 10 years. The main theme linking them is the chemistry and physical processes of metal alloys at high pressure and temperature, which govern the formation and evolution of the cores of planets.

Beginning with a short introduction to the chemistry of the Earth's core, we'll subsequently look at how it formed and evolved to its present state from its initially hotter conditions at birth. The changes in the core as it cooled probably left both physical and chemical imprints on the solid mantle that can be observed now geochemically and seismologically. With these insights to hand, we next look at Mercury, a puzzling planet which is not much else other than a core draped with rock. How did it develop so radically differently from the rest of the Solar Systems rocky planets?  It being a remnant of a giant impact is one possibility.