Earth's core (what if it burned out?)

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In summary: Thanks!Mars is a good example of a planet whose core has solidified. It is believed that this caused the loss of Mars' magnetic field which allowed the atmosphere to be blown away.So, I would say the answer to Question 2 is no.
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N468989
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Hi, i have a question about Earth's core. How does it keep on going (endless)? i mean will it last forever, and if it doesn't what will happen when it burns out? Do the other planets in the solar system have cores?

Question 2: if we managed to get carbon dioxide to heat up mars, could it be a habitable place, like on earth?


thanks!
 
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N468989 said:
Hi, i have a question about Earth's core. How does it keep on going (endless)? i mean will it last forever, and if it doesn't what will happen when it burns out? Do the other planets in the solar system have cores?

Question 2: if we managed to get carbon dioxide to heat up mars, could it be a habitable place, like on earth?


thanks!
Mars is a good example of a planet whose core has solidified. It is believed that this caused the loss of Mars' magnetic field which allowed the atmosphere to be blown away.

So, I would say the answer to Question 2 is no.
 
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The questions, I believe, are, can the Earth core solidify completely and what would happen then?

The answer can only be, we don't know. The scientific method is bound to fail here. We can measure things and interpret them some way or other and make (long term) predictions from that. But we can't test these predictions. For instance from http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast31jan_1.htm [Broken], if the solar wind pushed the atmosphere from Mars away due to the lacking magnetic field, why does Venus have such a dense atmosphere, also lacking a magnetic field?

Some speculations:
 
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  • #5
Evo said:
Mars is a good example of a planet whose core has solidified. It is believed that this caused the loss of Mars' magnetic field which allowed the atmosphere to be blown away.

So, I would say the answer to Question 2 is no.

How long did it take?
 
  • #6
Andre said:
The questions, I believe, are, can the Earth core solidify completely and what would happen then?

The answer can only be, we don't know. The scientific method is bound to fail here. We can measure things and interpret them some way or other and make (long term) predictions from that. But we can't test these predictions. For instance from http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast31jan_1.htm [Broken], if the solar wind pushed the atmosphere from Mars away due to the lacking magnetic field, why does Venus have such a dense atmosphere, also lacking a magnetic field?

Some speculations:


http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast161/Unit6/compare.html

Some facts.
 
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  • #7
N468989 said:
Hi, i have a question about Earth's core. How does it keep on going (endless)? i mean will it last forever, and if it doesn't what will happen when it burns out? Do the other planets in the solar system have cores?

Question 2: if we managed to get carbon dioxide to heat up mars, could it be a habitable place, like on earth?


thanks!

The two questions aren't necessarily related are they? Well I don't know, but I will answer each one separately adding what little I think I know:

1. First of all what do you mean by "going"? I will assume you mean the swirling around of molten iron in the outer core as this is the most kinetic aspect. The answer is convection, which can be broken up into two separate parts: (a) thermal convection due to the thermal boundaries at the interfaces between the core and the mantle and the outer core and the inner core, (b) compositional convection due to the crystallisation of molten iron into a mushy solid iron which is continually happening (note that this process releases the latent heat of crystallisation).

No it will not last forever. But it won't "burn out" before the sun evolves into a red giant and kills us all anyway.

Yes other planets have cores too.

2. It would be habitable if it had the right gases in the atmosphere, oxygen being quite important for us humans, and more importantly liquid water. At the moment Mars is too cold to host liquid water, although there remains the possibility that it exists in very deep canyons or in underground aquifers. If you wanted to make Mars habitable on the surface you'd need to heat it up, greenhouse gases are probably the best way. Actually I don't know anything about how to make a planet habitable but I have friends who study this sort of thing and they assure me that it is theoretaically possible.
 
  • #8
N468989 said:
...Question 2: if we managed to get carbon dioxide to heat up mars, could it be a habitable place, like on earth?

Actually, 95% of the Martian atmosphere is already carbon dioxide and as is evident by temperature readings on Mars, it hasn’t managed to raise the temperature to cozy earth-like temperatures. The thin Martian atmosphere is slightly less than 1% as dense as the Earth’s, so it’s not likely to ever become life-sustaining for carbon-based life like those on Earth. Mars offers no serious promise for inhabitability by earthlings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Mars
 

1. What exactly is Earth's core and why is it important?

The Earth's core is the central part of the Earth, made up of mostly iron and nickel. It is divided into two layers: the outer core, which is liquid, and the inner core, which is solid. The core is important because it generates the Earth's magnetic field, provides heat for the planet, and influences the movement of tectonic plates.

2. Is it possible for Earth's core to "burn out"?

No, the Earth's core cannot burn out. The heat generated in the core is produced by the radioactive decay of elements and the gradual cooling of the planet over billions of years. The core will eventually cool to the same temperature as the surrounding mantle, but this process will take billions of years and will not result in the core "burning out".

3. What would happen if the Earth's core did suddenly stop producing heat?

If the Earth's core suddenly stopped producing heat, the planet would eventually cool down and become a frozen, lifeless world. The loss of the magnetic field would also leave the Earth vulnerable to harmful radiation from the sun, making it difficult for any form of life to survive.

4. Could we survive if the Earth's core burned out?

No, if the Earth's core were to somehow burn out, it would result in catastrophic consequences for all life on the planet. The loss of heat and the magnetic field would make it difficult for any life to survive, and the planet would become inhospitable.

5. Are there any warning signs that the Earth's core could potentially burn out?

There are no known warning signs that the Earth's core could burn out. The core is a very stable and self-regulating system, and scientists do not currently have any reason to believe that it could suddenly stop producing heat. However, further research and monitoring of the Earth's core are essential to better understand this complex system and its potential impacts on the planet.

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