Terrestrial planets are thought to have dense iron cores because
A) the accumulation of material into planets in the original solar system nebula would have begun with the heavier elements,to be followed later by lighter materials.
B) magnetism in iron would be sufficiently powerful to pull more iron into the center of the forming planet.
C) thermonuclear processes produced iron in the earlier phases of planetary formation.
D) in earlier molten states,the heavy elements sank and lighter materials floated to the surface by chemical differentiation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The heavy elements, including iron, sank to the center of the forming planet during its molten state, while lighter materials floated to the surface through a process called chemical differentiation. This resulted in the formation of a dense iron core in terrestrial planets.

Terrestrial Planets Are Thought to Have Dense Iron Cores Because