Planet Structure

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General

A typical M class planet, or a planet of a similar class, has five main parts it plus an invisble but important magnetic field:

Atmosphere (5)

Is the gaseous part surrounding the solid body of the planet. About half of the atmospheres mass is contained in the lowest (nearest the Hydrosphere) 1% of the atmosphere. Above this there is what is called the Ionosphere which is simply ioniosed atoms in various layers.

Hydrosphere (4)

Is, on planets with liquid water, the surface water present across the entire planet. This is mainly in the form of oceans, but includes lakes, rivers, etc, etc. Although on a typical M Class Planet oceans cover approximately 70% of the surface, the total mass of the oceans is about 1/44000 of a typical M Class Planets mass.

Lithosphere (3)

The Lithosphere is the solid, cold, rock that forms the planets crust. The Lithosphere is comprised of mainly 11 elements on M Class Planets: 46% Oxygen, 28% Silicon, 8% Aluminium, 5% Iron, 4% Calcium, 3% Sodium, 3% Potassium, 2% Magnesium and Titanium, Hydrogen and Phsophorous are present in quantities less than 1%. There are also many other elements present, in order of abundance: Carbon, Manganese, Sulphar, Barium, Chlorine, Chromium, Flurine, Zirconium, Nickel, Strontium and Vanadium. The precise quanities may vary on different planets, and there may be a wider or smaller selection of elements present. All these elements exist as compounds, and are therefore minerals, and they make up 99% of the lithosheres mass.

The Lithosphere can be divided in to a number of sections as well: the crust (a & b) and the upper mantle (c). And again, the crust is divided in to two sections: the upper crust (a) and the lower crust (b). The upper crust of which continents are formed is made mainly of igneous and sedimentry rocks. The lower crust is made of a harder, darker, igneous rock and forms the ocean basins. The upper mantle part of the Lithosphere is seperated from the crust above by a siesmic discontinuity, and from the lower mantle below by a wekaness called asthenosphere. The upper mantle consists mainly of Iron and Magnesium silicates. The asthenosphere is what allows the continents to drift on partially molten rock.

Lithosphere

Lower Mantle (2)

Is below the Lithosphere, and composed mainly of oxides of Iron, Silicon and Iron.

Core (1)

Has a rigid 'crust' with depressions and peaks, formed by rising warm materials and falling materials. The inner core is solid (due to pressure), and made mainly of Iron with some Nickel and traces of other elements (typical M Class Planet). Inner core temperatures may reach 6500 C on an average M Class Planet.

Magnetic Field

The magnetic field on a planet has north and south end end located on the north and south poles poles. Magnetic field lines run between the poles of the planet. The magnetic field creates a large and particularly shaped magnetosphere (shaped depending on the strength of the solar wind, the distance between the star and the planet, the size of the planet and other factors). Where the the solar wind interacts with the magnetosphere there is a violant region called the magnetosheath. In between the magnetosphere and magnetosheath is an area called the magnetopause which clearly seperates them. Furthermore, when particles from the solar wind are trapped in the planet's magnetic field at the north and south poles they collide with particles in the planet's atmosphere and produce light. This is called the Aurora.

Additional Information

For additional information see: Planetary Classes

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