Saturn interior model

Models of the interiors of the giant planets depend on assumed temperature-pressure-density relationships that are not very well constrained. Models for Jupiter and Saturn feature concentric layers (from the outside inward) of molecular hydrogen, metallic hydrogen, and ice, perhaps with small cores of rock (rocky cores are permissible but not required by current data). Uranus and Neptune models are similar, except that there is no metallic hydrogen, the interior layers of ice are thicker, and the rocky cores are relatively larger. 

For Saturn versus Jupiter the story is a bit clearer. Models of the interior and evolution of Jupiter (described further below) produce the currently observed effective temperature with only sunlight and the original virialized energy of collapse no additional differentiation is required at present. However, in the case of Saturn, additional energy is required to obtain a body of its effective temperature and mass at an age of 4.56 Gyr, implying that differentiation is... 

Figure 9 Comparison of silicate mass fractions. Two assumptions for interior strueture are shown (i) differentiated—rock core, ice mantle, and (ii) homogeneous—uniformly mixed ice and roek. Also shown are silicate mass fractions for the Jupiter and Saturn systems and expected values for two models of the early solar nebula carbon chemistry (see text) (after Johnson et aL, 1987) (reproduced by permission of Ameriean Geophysieal Union from /. Geophys. Res. Space Phys. 1987, 92, 14884-14894).

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