On the Fluid and Viscoelastic Deformations of the Planets
Abstract
The shape of the Earth and of planets depends on the exciting forces and on the rheology of the medium. From the equilibrium equation, we present the main modelisations of the viscous and inviscid fluids and we essentially describe the characteristics of linear viscoelastic deformations, for the Maxwell viscoelastic model of rheology. We use the elastic, viscoelastic and fluid Love numbers in order to investigate the associated relaxation modes. For these various kinds of rheology of the planets interior, we compute the geoid and the topography induced by an internal mass distribution. Finally, we show the importance of this viscoelastic deformation calculations in the study of the celestial body rotations.
- Publication:
-
Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy
- Pub Date:
- October 1993
- DOI:
- 10.1007/BF00692477
- Bibcode:
- 1993CeMDA..57..247L
- Keywords:
-
- Elastic Deformation;
- Inviscid Flow;
- Planetary Rotation;
- Planetary Structure;
- Viscoelasticity;
- Viscous Flow;
- Geoids;
- Mass Distribution;
- Mathematical Models;
- Planetary Surfaces;
- Rheology;
- Topography;
- Lunar and Planetary Exploration;
- Fluid dynamics;
- deformation of planets;
- shape of planets;
- rotation of planets