Why Don't Heavier Elements Sink to the Sun's Core?

AI Thread Summary
Heavier elements do not sink to the Sun's core due to the dynamic nature of the Sun, which involves significant upwelling and mixing. The core is the most active area where fusion occurs, preventing elements from simply settling. If heavier elements were present, they would not be able to undergo fusion, as the Sun lacks the energy to fuse anything heavier than hydrogen. The discussion highlights the importance of the Sun's activity in maintaining its elemental distribution. Overall, the Sun's structure and processes explain why heavier elements remain detectable at the surface.
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This website gives a break down of the ten most abundant elements from spectrum analysis of the sun

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/961112a.html"

Presumably this result is only valid for the surface/near surface of the sun.

If there were any heavier elements present wouldn't they have a tendency to sink to the core and therefore be undetectable?
 
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link is broken

sun is not static
there is a lot of upwelling and mixing
and the center is the most active area
as that is where the fusion is happening
so no stuff willnot just sink and stay in the center
 
ray b said:
link is broken

sun is not static
there is a lot of upwelling and mixing
and the center is the most active area
as that is where the fusion is happening
so no stuff willnot just sink and stay in the center

sorry about the link - I've just edited it and it's ok now.

There wouldn't be any fusion going on in the centre if the centre consisted of elements any heavier than hydrogen. Apparently, our sun doesn't have enough energy to fuse anything heavier than hydrogen.
 
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