why dosent the centre of the Earth cool down?

Question

i know it would take a long time but wehy not?

Answer 1

No one really knows for sure the composition of the centre of the Earth, all we can assume is that it is made up of many layers or cores. This is based on evidence, it must have a metallic core otherwise there would not be a magnetic field. There must be molten rock otherwise you would not have volcanos. Techtonic plates "float" on this molten rock, but the deeper you go the viscosity changes until you get a consistency of glass. We all have heard that glass in windows is liquid? That's what molten rock deep down under tremendious pressure is like. Can we be sure, no. The deepest we have ever delved into the Earth is approx 9k bore hole. Didn't reveal much. Mines in South Africa regularly go down to about 4km deep. If Earth were a bowling ball, we have just revealed the varnish on the surface.
The Earth is cooling down, but it will take millions of years to become a cold rock in orbit around a dying Sun, the temperatures (it is thought, but who knows) are equivalent to the surface of the Sun, the Human species will in all probability be only rememberd by a few scant fossils at that stage.
You should have a look at Bill Brysons book, A Short History of Nearly Everything. Informative and funny.

Answer 2

Most of the Earths internal heat comes from radioactive decay of Potassium 40 isotope. Its not super at liberating heat (like say Uranium decay) but there are shed loads of it in the Earth, its been happening for a long time and the Earth is well insulated so the heating is noticeable. Infact it generates so much heat that the Earth should be molten. It drives plate tectonics which act to release the heat and keep the planet from meltdown.

Answer 3

The main reason that the Earth remains hot in its interior is that it has its own energy source. Breakdown of radioactive elements included in the rocks of the mantle, and to some extent the iron/nickel of the core, are what drives the convection engine pushing the tectonics of the planet.

It has even been suggested that a small-scale nuclear fusion process can occur in the innermost core, like that which drives the Sun (but much weaker) though I'm not clear on the physics of that.

The core is cooling; the solid inner core is slowly growing - but that crystallisation of iron liberates heat, which adds further to the heat in the mantle.

Answer 4

When the earths' core cools it will be eons from now.

I know that there is a fusion reaction that keeps the core hot, that is why we have lava that when it comes out of a volcano it is steaming. So the temperture at the core is so hot that it melts rocks.

Answer 5

it is cooling down, very slowly, as we start to slow down our spinning

Answer 6

It is doing very slowly.

Answer 7

It does.