Thermosynthetic Carousel

From publisher blurb: From space at a distance, Carousel is a thick coin … a flattened sphere. On closer look from orbit, the planet is a silvery discus with a tarnished edge. White clouds partially obscure metallic continents surrounded by azure seas. Upon closer examination, a major fault line measuring 15,270.64 miles (24,575.71 kilometers) encircles the planet at the equator. Black organisms grow taller on the curved edge than on either flat face. Its icy white poles are in the center of each face. Carousel rotates on its axis as if it were a small, spinning plate. From the surface, water vapor clouds appear in a blue sky. The surface appears silver with gold and copper metal boulders and rocks. The plentiful boulders are heavy metals.