Overview

Earth is undergoing a consistent process of cooling. Once a glowing ball of magma, it has taken the planet millions of years to reach its present state. Yet, its center remains as fiery as ever, and scientists have been intrigued by the Earth’s cooling core since ever but have yet remained unsuccessful in determining the speed with which it is releasing heat.

Science and other stuff to know

The heat radiated by the Earth’s core is critical to several major and minor visible activities at the surface, including mantle convection, plate tectonics, volcanism, and the resultant earthquakes.

Scientists have tried figuring out how the Earth loses heat, and one of the possible explanations is the thermal conductivity that takes place through minerals that make up the boundary between the Earth’s core and mantle. The layer is formed by bridgmanite, and its conductive properties may hold the key to the core’s cooling.

It has been the subject of a recent study by ETH Professor Motohiko Murakami and his colleagues from the Carnegie Institution for Science. The team developed a high-tech measuring system that replicates the pressure and temperature prevalent at the core and aid in measuring the thermal conductivity of bridgmanite.

“This measurement system shows us that the thermal conductivity of bridgmanite is about 1.5 times higher than assumed,” Murakami told ETH Zurich.

So what?

The findings have thrown the previous knowledge about the cooling occurring at the Earth’s center out of the window. Furthermore, with the results showing that the heat transfer from the core is considerably faster, the processes dependent on the heat may also cease much earlier than anticipated.

“Our results could give us a new perspective on the evolution of the Earth’s dynamics. They suggest that Earth, like the other rocky planets Mercury and Mars, is cooling and becoming inactive much faster than expected,” Murakami said.

What’s next?

Despite the new findings, scientists still cannot predict how quickly the Earth will cool and become a cold planet. The heat encapsulated by the planet’s core is essential for sustaining life on Earth in several ways and affects natural occurrences like wind patterns, the atmosphere, and species ranges in the biosphere.

This cooling process’ acceleration could mean the end of habitation for the only known living planet. It is one heat transfer that sends cold shivers down one’s spine.