Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology => Topic started by: glenn on 03/10/2008 22:00:38
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glenn asked the Naked Scientists:
Why doesn't the Earth's core ever cool down?
What do you think?
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Radiogenic heating, like in a nuclear power station.
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Also, heat left over from the formation of the planet, but this is small in comparison to the heat produced by the radioactive reactions.
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My understanding is that it has cooled down, and used to be more active over the past 4.6 billion years.
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Yes, this is known as a "georeactor". The radioactive decay of various elements within the planet's interior produces heat. On the scale of a body as large as the Earth this adds up to a lot of energy, which helps to keep the core of the planet hot.
The same science is used to power space probes, particularly those which are venturing beyond the point at which solar panels could sustain them. The "New Horizons" mission to Pluto is one such example. The probes usually use isotopes of polonium and plutonium which decay so vigorously that they produce a lot of heat; this is connected to a thermocouple that turns the heat into electricity.
Chris
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The abundance of potassium in the Earth's crust and mantle is significantly lower than in stoney meteroites. Researchers suggest that the depleted potassium in the mantle/crust may have formed iron-potassium alloys in the core, postulating that potassium could be the major radioactive heat source in the core.
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Thanks Bass - I was wondering how the potassium, being quite light in the grand scheme of things, should get into the core.
Chris
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Hey Bass, does this mean the earth will eventually explode due to becoming an argon balloon?
[:X]
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Explanation of above question: 40K -> 40Ar
40K decays to stable 40Ar (11.2%) by electron capture and by positron emission, and decays to stable 40Ca (88.8%) by beta decay.
(for those with a scientific mind.)
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does this mean the earth will eventually explode due to becoming an argon balloon?
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=17097.0 [:)]
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Hey Bass, does this mean the earth will eventually explode due to becoming an argon balloon?
[:X]
Thanks to the eminent professor JimBob, I now know that an atom of Ar takes up more space than an atom of K- in spite of radioactive decay. Thanks for keeping that straight.[:P] Of course, with a half life exceeding a billion years, this process may take a while??
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does this mean the earth will eventually explode due to becoming an argon balloon?
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=17097.0 [:)]
And to think I've wasted all these years on plate tectonics!
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Because we don't understand how the energy at the core relates to the mass of the planet.
4 billion years old, one would think that aggressive radioactive decay would be all done and dusted by now.
glenn asked the Naked Scientists:
Why doesn't the Earth's core ever cool down?
What do you think?
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Not at all; radioactive decay is a stochastic process. Also, the products are themselves radioactive with variable half-lives.
Chris
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the sun is like a big big Magnetron.like in your microwave oven .a magnetron gives off micro waves.the waves move very fast. radio waves move a lot slower.the micro waver speed up molecules .when molecules move they make friction.witch cause heat.its like rubbing your two hands together very very fast.feel the heat.Lets get back to the sun.the sun gives off radiation . sorry for the spelling.i cant be good at everything.the radiation pass threw the earth and heat the iron core of the earth.like a micro wave oven.I will call it the radiation wave oven affect.LOL.did you ever stick metal in the micro wave oven.it sparks and heats up.thats what the earths core is doing.the radiation hits the earths magnetosphere and enters at the poles .the iron core molecules start rubbing each other.causing heat.So thats how the earth core stays hot.the earth was hit buy the moon.and made the iron core.wright now the sun is getting stronger.like god turned up his natreno wave oven on high.the sun will go back to its low setting . We are not having a global problems .this has been going on for 4 in a half billion years. So the sun goes from low to high.like a micro wave oven.Now the government knows this.and trying to make us pay for it with the global warming act .vote no on the Act.This will be part 1# of my theses. theirs a lot more to talk about .the earth is heating up.the core is getting hotter .when core gets hot. the molten lava starts to expand from the heat.causing earth quakes and erupting volcanoes.last time this happened.is when Yellow stone caldera blow up.Now that took a lot of pressure to do that.So the government should find out how many times the caldera blown up.then they can predict the next one.
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[FURTHER TRIPE BY THE SAME PERSON TO WHOM THIS IS ADDRESSED WAS REMOVED ON THE GROUNDS THAT IT WAS PERSONALLY INSULTING AND HIGHLY MISLEADING FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC].
No, you are an idiot, you have written rubbish, you then insulted me and you are now banned. Congratulations.
However, just to set the record straight, neutrinos interact with very little; they certainly do not interact with Earth sufficiently to account for the body of heat in the core. If that were true then Mars would also still have a hot core. As it stands, however, Mars appears to have cooled down back in time and consequently lost its magnetic field. Were neutrinos keeping Earth warm then why would they discriminate against Mars.
Meanwhile, if you do discover some manners and you are willing to write back to me and apologise for your behaviour, then I will unlock you user and reinstate you.
Thank you.
Chris Smith, Managing Editor.
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Wow! That 'part 1' really shows how dangerous a little knowledge can be, being wrong in just about every important respect.
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Si, hombre
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Wow! That 'part 1' really shows how dangerous a little knowledge can be, being wrong in just about every important respect.
Awe, c'mon now. He did get one thing right.
...LOL.did you ever stick metal in the micro wave oven.it sparks and heats up....
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Lol - [:D]
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Because we don't understand how the energy at the core relates to the mass of the planet.
4 billion years old, one would think that aggressive radioactive decay would be all done and dusted by now.
glenn asked the Naked Scientists:
Why doesn't the Earth's core ever cool down?
What do you think?
Th aggressively radioactive elements have decayed. The ones that are still with us take billions of years to fall apart. The earth would cool down eventually, but the sun will go red giant first.
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Everything that moves sure has energy :)
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I have a theory, that in part the heat may be caused on account of the gravitational pull of the moon that causes the molten core to churn, just like the moon is responsible for tides in the oceans.