Editing Exoplanet (section)

=== Plate tectonics ===

In 2007, two independent teams of researchers came to opposing conclusions about the likelihood of [[plate tectonics]] on larger [[super-Earth]]s<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.epsl.2009.07.015 |title=Convection scaling and subduction on Earth and super-Earths |date=2009 |last1=Valencia |first1=Diana |last2=O'Connell |first2=Richard J.|journal=Earth and Planetary Science Letters |volume=286 |issue=3–4 |pages=492–502 |bibcode=2009E&PSL.286..492V}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.epsl.2011.07.029|title=Plate tectonics on super-Earths: Equally or more likely than on Earth|date=2011 |last1=Van Heck |first1=H.J. |last2=Tackley |first2=P.J. |journal=Earth and Planetary Science Letters |volume=310 |issue=3–4 |pages=252–261 |bibcode=2011E&PSL.310..252V}}</ref> with one team saying that plate tectonics would be episodic or stagnant<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1029/2007GL030598 |title=Geological consequences of super-sized Earths|date=2007 |last1=O'Neill |first1=C. |last2=Lenardic |first2=A. |s2cid=41617531|journal=Geophysical Research Letters |volume=34|issue=19|pages=L19204 |bibcode=2007GeoRL..3419204O|doi-access=free }}</ref> and the other team saying that plate tectonics is very likely on super-Earths even if the planet is dry.<ref>{{Cite journal |first1=Diana |last1=Valencia |first2=Richard J.|last2=O'Connell |first3=Dimitar D |last3=Sasselov |date=November 2007 |title=Inevitability of Plate Tectonics on Super-Earths|journal=Astrophysical Journal Letters |volume=670 |issue=1 |pages=L45–L48 |doi=10.1086/524012 |arxiv=0710.0699|bibcode=2007ApJ...670L..45V|s2cid=9432267}}</ref>

If super-Earths have more than 80 times as much water as Earth, then they become [[ocean planet]]s with all land completely submerged. However, if there is less water than this limit, then the deep water cycle would move enough water between the oceans and mantle to allow continents to exist.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Super Earths Likely To Have Both Oceans and Continents – Astrobiology|url=http://astrobiology.com/2014/01/super-earths-likely-to-have-both-oceans-and-continents.html|access-date=2022-01-17|website=astrobiology.com|date=7 January 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1088/0004-637X/781/1/27 |title=Water Cycling Between Ocean and Mantle: Super-Earths Need Not Be Waterworlds |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume = 781| issue=1 |page = 27 |year=2014 |last1=Cowan |first1=N. B. |last2=Abbot |first2=D. S. |bibcode=2014ApJ...781...27C |arxiv=1401.0720 |s2cid=56272100}}</ref>