Definition
In chemistry and geology, a solidus is the set of temperatures below which a substance is completely solid or crystallized. The solidus defines the temperature at which a substance begins to melt, but not necessarily when the substance is completely melted. A solidus may be contrasted with a liquidus. The solidus and liquidus may not be the same in all cases. When a difference exists between the solidus and liquidus temperatures, then in the intervening region, the system consists of a mixture of solid and liquid phases. In eutectic systems, solidus and liquidus temperatures are the same: The mixture melts completely at the eutectic point.
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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Cleaves, H.J. (2011). Solidus. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_1467
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_1467
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-11271-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-11274-4
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics