What physical property is the primary driver behind the gravitational sorting of materials during differentiation?
Answer
Density
Gravity acts to minimize the planet's gravitational potential energy, causing denser materials like iron to sink toward the center while lighter materials like silicates float outward, a process entirely dependent on density differences.
Related Questions
What is the term for the process that sculpts planets into distinct, concentric layers?What physical property is the primary driver behind the gravitational sorting of materials during differentiation?What condition must a planet's interior meet to allow for effective density sorting?Which initial heat source for differentiation comes from the kinetic energy of impacts during planetary assembly?What were the three main initial sources of heat that kickstarted planetary differentiation?Why is the Earth's inner core solid, despite being hotter than the outer core?What critical feature of Earth is generated by convection currents occurring in the liquid outer core?Which layer of a terrestrial planet is formed from the lightest silicate materials that rise to the surface?Compared to Earth, why does Mars have a proportionally smaller core?What is a key example of secondary differentiation happening within the core over billions of years?