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Cosmogonical implications of elemental and isotopic abundances in atmospheres of the giant planets

Nature volume 304, pages 691–694 (1983)Cite this article

Abstract

Current knowledge of element abundances and isotope ratios in the atmospheres of the major planets is reviewed. The observed enhancement of C/H compared with the solar value favours models for the origin of these bodies that invoke the accretion and degassing of an ice-rock core followed by the accumulation of a solar composition envelope. Titan may represent an example of a core-forming planetesimal. Observations of D/H and other isotope ratios must be accommodated by these models in ways that are not yet completely clear. Some additional tests are suggested.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire d'Astronomie Infrarouge, Observatoire de Paris, Meudon, 92190, France

    Daniel Gautier

  2. Department of Earth and Space Sciences, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York, 11794, USA

    Tobias Owen

Authors
  1. Daniel Gautier
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  2. Tobias Owen
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Gautier, D., Owen, T. Cosmogonical implications of elemental and isotopic abundances in atmospheres of the giant planets. Nature 304, 691–694 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/304691a0

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