Terrestrial planet evolution in the stagnant-lid regime: Size effects and the formation of self-destabilizing crust

► We model the thermal evolution of terrestrial planets in the stagnant-lid regime. ► A layer of self-destabilizing eclogite crust may form in massive terrestrial planets. ► Planetary mass does not greatly influence the likelihood of plate tectonics. ► More massive planets have thinner crusts and smaller degrees of mantle processing. ► Principal component analysis simplifies interpretations of evolutionary scenarios.