Back Planetêre differensiasie Afrikaans جرم متباين Arabic Diferenciació planetària Catalan Planetární diferenciace Czech Differenzierung (Planetologie) German Planeda diferenciĝo Esperanto Diferenciación planetaria Spanish تمایز سیارهای Persian Différenciation planétaire French Diferenciación planetaria Galician
In planetary science, planetary differentiation is the process by which the chemical elements of a planetary body accumulate in different areas of that body, due to their physical or chemical behavior (e.g. density and chemical affinities). The process of planetary differentiation is mediated by partial melting with heat from radioactive isotope decay and planetary accretion. Planetary differentiation has occurred on planets, dwarf planets, the asteroid 4 Vesta, and natural satellites (such as the Moon).