Would an island-covered planet be possible?

Island planets are common in science-fiction, and we've even got a few questions about them in worldbuilding. However, I cannot help but wonder how, or if, they could form. On Earth, at least, our geological processes lead to the formation of lots of continents, and only a few islands, relative to their total surface area.

Would it be possible for a planet to form with no major landmasses larger than, say, New Zealand, but lots of islands? What sort of geological processes would form a planet like this, instead of an Earth-like one? Ideally, I'd like the planet to be inhabitable, as well.

is a duplicate

This question has been asked before and has already been answered. It should be marked as a duplicate.

Please enter the URL of the proposed duplicate in the details field below.

not constructive

This question cannot be answered in a way that is helpful to anyone. It's not possible to learn something from possible answers, except for the solution for the specific problem of the asker.

Communities

Would an island-covered planet be possible?

0 comment threads

0 answers