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There could be more habitable planets in the universe than we thought, according to a study.
Geoscientists of Pennsylvania State University, United States, suggest that plate tectonics – long-believed by searching habitable planets or living on other planets, scientists are looking for biosignatures of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
On Earth, atmospheric carbon dioxide increases the surface heat through the greenhouse effect according to research published in the journal Astrobiology .
"Volcanism releases gases into the atmosphere, and then through alteration, carbon dioxide is fired from" Bradford Foley, geoscience professor at Penn State
"The Balance between these two processes keeps carbon dioxide at a certain level. "Most of the Earth's volcanoes lie on the border of tectonic plates, which is one of the reasons why scientists thought they were needed to "Subduction, in which a plate is pushed deeper into the subsurface by a collision plate, can also help the carbon cycle by pushing carbon into the mantle." 19659002]
Interpretation of an exoplanet by an artist. Courtesy: NASA
Planets without tectonic plates are known as stagnant-lid planets, according to the researchers.
On these planets, the crust is a giant spherical plate floating on the mantle rather than separate pieces. They are thought to be more prevalent than planets with plate tectonics.
In fact, Earth is the only planet with confirmed tectonic plates.
Foley and Andrew Smye, Assistant Professor at Penn State, created a computer model of the
They looked at how much heat his climate could hold depending on his initial heat budget, or the amount of heat and thermal elements present when a planet forms . After performing hundreds of simulations to vary the size and chemical composition of a planet, the researchers discovered that stagnant planets can withstand liquid water conditions for billions of years.
At the highest level, they could last up to four billion years "
" There is a sweet spot area where a planet releases enough carbon dioxide to prevent the planet from freeze, but not so much that alteration can "According to the researchers' model, the presence and amount of heat-producing elements were far better indicators of the planet's potential to sustain life.
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