This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Volatiles is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
In planetary science, volatiles, are that group of elements and compounds with low boiling points (see volatile) that are associated with a planet's or moon's crust and/or atmosphere. Examples include nitrogen, water, carbon dioxide, ammonia, hydrogen and methane, all compounds of C, H, O and/or N, as well as sulfur dioxide. In astrogeology, these compounds, in their solid state, often comprise large proportions of the crusts of moons and dwarf planets. In terrestrial geology, the term more specifically refers to components of magma (mostly water vapor and carbon dioxide) that affect the appearance and strength of volcanoes. Volatiles affect the viscosity of the magma, and the tendency to explosive eruptions.
Planetary scientists often class volatiles with exceptionally low melting points, such as hydrogen and helium, as gases (as in gas giant), while those volatiles with melting points above about 100 K are referred to as ices. The terms "gas" and "ice" in this context can apply to compounds that may be solids, liquids or gases. Thus, Jupiter and Saturn are referred to as "gas giants" even though the vast majority of the "gas" in their interiors is liquid, and Uranus and Neptune are called "ice giants" despite the fact that neither planet contains more than trace amounts of solid ice.
The Earth's Moon is considered very low in volatiles: its crust contains oxygen chemically bound into the rocks (as eg silicates), but negligible amounts of hydrogen, nitrogen or carbon.
In contrast, those elements with high boiling points are known as refractory elements.1
References
External links
- Glossary of planetary astronomy terms
- Volatiles of Costa Rican volcanoes.
- Volatile Planetary Science Research Discoveries
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 2 October 2008, at 16:31.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Volatiles".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.