EARTH’S INTERNAL HEAT

 If we think of a volcano, we know Earth must be hot inside. The heat inside the Earth moves continents builds mountains and
causes earthquakes (Salandanan et al., 2016). Where does all this heat inside Earth come from? You probably asked this
question before.

What’s Inside the Earth?

 Like all terrestrial planets, the Earth’s interior is differentiated. This means that its internal structure consists of layers arranged
like the skin of the onion, “peel back one, and you find another” which is distinguished by its chemical and geological properties,
as well as vast differences in temperature and pressure. The Earth is composed of three distinct layers, crust, mantle and core.
The hottest layer is the core that produces heat.
 In addition, the bowels of the Earth closely resemble a giant thermal power station, powered by convection currents that heat
the surface. At the very center of this giant factory we have the solid inner core and the molten outer core. The solid inner core
differs from molten outer core is mainly due to the relative melting points of the different layers and the increase in temperature
and pressure as depth increases.

Layers of the Earth

 The crust – extremely thin, cold and brittle compared to
what lies below it. Along with the upper zone of mantle,
the crust is broken into pieces (tectonic plates).
 The inner core-extremely dense which made up of solid
iron, intensely hot (almost as hot as the surface of the
sun) that keeps the outer core as liquid, pressures here
are immense.
 The outer core- made from iron and nickel in liquid form,
heatedly largely by radioactive decay, this liquid churns
in huge, turbulent currents.
 The mantle- the thickest layer, made mostly of iron,
magnesium and silicon, it is dense, hot and semisolid.
Near its upper edges (between about 100-200 km)
underground, its temperature reaches the melting point
of rock. Thus, it forms a layer of partially melted rock
asthenosphere (weak, hot, slippery part of the mantle
and it is what Earth’s tectonic plates ride upon and slide
across). The mantle’s outermost zone is relatively cool
and rigid and behaves more like the crust above.
Together, this uppermost and the crust are known as
lithosphere.

 Mantle convection (hotter molten rocks rises and cooler

molten rocks sinks) is the result of heat transfer from the
core to the base of the lower mantle and it occurs at rates
of centimeters per year. It is an essential feature to the
movement of tectonic plate because the heat builds up
pressure underneath the crust (Tectonic plates). As they
become unstable, they push against each other
(subduction) and rise upwards or one goes under the
other.

Why Is Earth Hot Inside?

 The interior of Earth is very hot for two main reasons:
1. The heat from when the planet formed (Primordial Heat) which came from the following sources:
a. Accretion energy
Accretion of material during the formation of planets is likely one of the largest sources of heat. The
accretion heat is the energy accumulated during the burial of heat by impacts as the planet grows through the
accretion of planetisimals (a combination of the word “plant” and “infinitesimal”) and they are considered as
fundamental building blocks of terrestrial planets and the core of giant planets). In other words, it is the heat
generated by the conversion of kinetic energy of impacting bodies to thermal energy.
 b. Adiabatic compression
As more particles accreted in planet those at the center squashed by growing gravitational load
c. Core formation energy
Core formation is the biggest differentiation event in the life of any terrestrial planet. Settling of Fe to
center of Earth converts potential energy of iron into heat energy.
d. Decay of short-lived radioisotopes
Short-lived radioisotopes are those with half-lives measured in millions of years (Ma) or fewer. Typically,
we don’t expect to encounter these in the modern solar system because only undetectable traces of them will
remain from the time of their formation in supernova or previous star prior to the formation of the solar system.
10Be, 26Al, 36Cl, 41Ca, 53Mn, 60Fe, 107Pd, and 129I are examples of short-lived radioisotopes. These are
thought to have been a major source of heat driving planetary differentiation in early solar system.

2. The heat from the decay of radioactive elements (Radiogenic Heat), particularly the long-lived radioisotopes
a. Long-lived radioisotopes
Those radioisotopes with half-lives measured in hundreds of millions or billions of years (Ga). Present in
the modern world in detectable quantities. Some long-lived radioisotopes are 235U, 238U, 40K, 232Th which
considered as first source decay produced more heat early in Earth’s history than it does today.

 About 50% of the heat given off by the Earth’s is generated by the radioactive decay of elements such as Uranium and Thorium
and their decay products. Geophysicists believe that heat flows from Earth’s interior into space at a rate of about 44 x 1012 W
(Johnston, 2011).

How the Earth’s Internal Heat Is Redistributed?

 Both sources of heat whether primordial or radiogenic undergo
heat transfer and it plays an important role to the continuous
changes and development of our planet. The heat from Earth’s
interior is distributed through the simultaneous processes of
convection and conduction.
 Conduction governs the thermal conditions in almost entire
solid portions of the earth. It is defined as the process by which
heat energy is transmitted through collisions between
neighboring atoms or molecules. It is responsible for the heat
transfer from earth’s core and radiation from the sun to the
surface.
 Convection governs the heat transport in the fluid outer core
and the mantle. It involves transfer of heat by the movement of
mass, which is more efficient means of heat transport in the
Earth compared to pure conduction. Convection dominates the
thermal conditions in the zone where large quantities of fluids
(molten rocks) exist. Convection occurs at the mantle but not
between the core and mantle or even between the
asthenosphere and lithosphere (except at sea-floor spreading
zones). The only heat transfer mechanism in these transition zones is through conduction.

 Earth’s heat flow transport occurs by conduction, mantle

convection, hydrothermal convection and volcanic advection.
Earth’s internal heat flow to the surface is thought to be 80%
due to mantle convection, with the remaining heat originating in
the Earth’s crust, with about 1% due to volcanic activity,
earthquakes and mountain building. Thus, approximately 99%
of Earth’s internal heat loss at the surface is by conduction
through the crust and by mantle convection is the dominant
control on heat transport from deep within the Earth.