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Does Mercury have a molten core?

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Abstract

THE discovery of an intrinsic magnetic field for the planet Mercury by Mariner 10 (ref. 1) and its preferred source in an internal dynamo2 imply the existence of a conducting molten core. We propose here a feasible, non-seismic observational experiment to determine the existence and extent of such a molten core, which would be vital for calculations of Mercurian thermal histories and dynamo field generation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106

    S. J. PEALE

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  1. S. J. PEALE
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PEALE, S. Does Mercury have a molten core?. Nature 262, 765–766 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/262765a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/262765a0

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