| Astrophysics (Index) | About |
The equilibrium condensation model takes plausible values for the temperature and pressure profiles of the solar nebula and predicts the abundances of chemical elements of the individual solar system planets based upon the temperature/pressure thresholds at which each element or compound would condense. It does well explaining many of the abundances, with some exceptions, such as the apparent fact that Mercury has elements that support a magnetic field, and that Earth has so much water. The model has been around for a while (back to the 1970s at least) and is likely now considered an approximation, and subsequent notions regarding solar-system planetary migration (e.g., the grand tack hypothesis) presumably affect its conclusions.