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Does Mercury have a molten core?

Nature volume 259, pages 293–294 (1976)Cite this article

Abstract

THE Mariner 10 mission has discovered a magnetic field associated with the planet Mercury1. The preferred explanation of the source of this field based on these observations, is an internal dynamo2. A necessary condition for such a dynamo is the existence of an electrically conducting liquid region within the planet. In this letter, we investigate whether or not Mercury could contain a molten metallic core.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Swiss National Science Foundation, Wildhainweg 20, Bern, Switzerland

    PETER E. FRICKER

  2. NASA–Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, 94035

    RAY T. REYNOLDS, AUDREY L. SUMMERS & PATRICK M. CASSEN

Authors
  1. PETER E. FRICKER
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  2. RAY T. REYNOLDS
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  3. AUDREY L. SUMMERS
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  4. PATRICK M. CASSEN
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FRICKER, P., REYNOLDS, R., SUMMERS, A. et al. Does Mercury have a molten core?. Nature 259, 293–294 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/259293a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/259293a0

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