Much of current exoplanet research seems to have the goal of finding another habitable world. As I mentioned in the previous story, it seems that surface volcanism may be influencing the new atmosphere, and it turns out, it’s not just volcanoes that can have an effect. In new work published in The Planetary Science Journal, researchers determined that rocks and rock types can influence the composition of the atmosphere, which in turn leads to the habitability of the planet.

Lead author Kaustubh Hakim explains: We want to understand how the chemical reactions between the atmosphere and the surface of planets change the composition of the atmosphere. On Earth, this process – the weathering of silicate rocks assisted by water – helps to maintain a temperate climate over long periods of time. When the concentration of CO2 increases, temperatures also rise because of its greenhouse effect. Higher temperatures lead to more intense rainfall. Silicate weathering rates increase, which in turn reduce the CO2 concentration and subsequently lower the temperature.

Once again, this work was done through a lot of computer modeling, testing how various conditions affected the weathering process of rocks and how the results could impact any atmosphere. All of which helps us understand the probability of finding that first, truly habitable world.

More Information

University of Bern press release

“Lithologic Controls on Silicate Weathering Regimes of Temperate Planets,” Kaustubh Hakim et al., 2021 March 11, The Planetary Science Journal (preprint on arxiv.org)