Oxygen-rich exoplanets may be geologically active
Laboratory experiments suggest that these worlds have especially gooey interiors
Rocky exoplanets such as GJ 1132b (shown in this artist’s impression) may have volcanoes that spew out gases into the atmosphere. Oxygen-rich rocks in such planets’ interiors could drive the melting of the mantle, possibly fueling geologic activity, a study suggests.
NASA, ESA, R. Hurt/IPAC/Caltech