Why has the center of the earth, after all this time, still not solidified?

Question

Why is the center of the Earth still molten after millions of years? What forces keep it hot?

Answer 1

the rotation of the earth and the semisic activity

Answer 2

You are behind in times. Maybe in the Hadian Eon the Earth's Inner Core was molten, but it is solid now. The Outer Core is still molten, and that is due to the atomic decay of uranium, thorium and potassium. The Inner Core would also be molten, but the pressure is so great that it is forced into a solid, even though the temperature of the Inner Core is greater than that of the Outer Core.

Answer 3

the very centre of the earth is solid. it is the inner core and is solid from all the pressure. The thought that the outer core and aesthenosphere is molten is a mis conception. It is not wholly molten, only in parts and behaves like a plastic (therefore it can convect).

These areas are not solid because the intense heat overcomes the pressure.

Answer 4

easily, the middle IS good. additionally, blockading out the solar's warmth does no longer impact the middle temperature very lots, because of the fact the middle is so large and warm while in comparison with how lots photograph voltaic skill falls on earth. enable's say the molten factors of the Earth solidified. The dynamo result might give up, and there may be basically approximately no magnetic container to speak of. The Earth's gravitational pull might basically advance if it shrank, because of the fact then we are turning out to be closer to its middle of mass.

Answer 5

Tidal forces exerted by the Sun and Moon, among the ones discussed by the other responders. The Moon in particular is constantly causing the core to "flex" as tidal bulges on either side of the core follow the Moon in its 28-day and apparent 24-hour path around the sky.

Much of the resulting energy is released as heat, which keeps the core molten.

To see an extreme example of how much heat can be generated by such tidal forces, look up Jupiter's moon Io at Wikipedia, or go here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Io_%28moon%29

The tidal forces exerted on Io by Jupiter are enough to keep the entire moon in a semi-molten state.

Hope this helps,
Big Al Mintaka

Answer 6

To expand on rhsaunder...'s answer:

I read the other day that some scientists contend that the center of the earth IS solid. this assertion necessitates rethinking the composition or the interior, resulting in a belief that the core must be composed of elements more dense than iron. Many of these would be radioactive, with very long half-lives.

Answer 7

The temparatures at the earth's center soar above 6500 degrees C. At such temparatures the rocks and iron are in a molten state. The molten rock is known as Magma that maintains the liquid (Fluid) state of the Earth's Crust

Answer 8

Two reasons. Rock is a fairly bad conductor of heat, and radioactive decay underground produces additional heat. Thus, the earth's center is still quite hot -- estimates run as high as 10,000 C -- hotter than the surface of the sun.