Lightning.?

Question

Lightning hit's the Earth quite frequently, but where does it go?.
If it goes to EARTH, then what happens to the heat that is generated by thye lightning. Here is my theory. I think that it is the lightning that hit's the earth that helps keep the molten magma in a liquit state. If as scientists beleave the the Earth has an IRON core then this in it's self would draw the electricity towards it. Heat would then disapate through the magma as it passess through it relesing it's heat, and the electrical energy keeps the atomic reactore deep in the Earth going.what is your oppinion on the subject.?

Answer 1

Interesting theory. However, we already now that the heat within the Earth is produced by pressure, friction, and radioactive decay.
BTW, the heat from lightning is dissipated.

Answer 2

Consider what lightning actually is...
It is nothing more than an electrical discharge. Within thunderstoms, convection causes large static electrical charges to be built up. Lightning is one of the mechanisms by which these static charges disipate, and connects areas of opposite charge, so it doesn't have to "go anywhere" as such.

Much ot the energy relesed by lightning goes into the atmosphere. It is this energy release during a lightning strike that causes thunder. Air is rapidly heated causing the "bang". Sometimes you can get very localised melting of soil, or rocks at the immediate point of the lightning strike (forming things called fulgerites), but this heat would be rapidly lost to the atmosphere.

As for lightning helping to keep magma hot, this is not the case. The earth's internal heat is generated by the decay of radioactive elements that were incorporated when the Earth formed. Only nuclear processes (not electricity) can influence this. It is this internal heat that is responsible for the formation o magma.