Georeactor Theory: Is Fission Reactions Responsible for Earth's Heat?

[Jbcourt]

The Georeactor theory is, the theory that at Earth's center fission reactions are taking place and generating our magnetic field, and supplying enough energy to heat most of our planet's interior.

Do any Geophysicist take the Georeactor theory seriously? If not, why?
It makes sense to think that heavy elements like uranium would collect in the core, but since the core is 81% iron could enough uranium get within proximity to start fission? And if the core is solid how could the Georeactor be replenished with new fuel, if the core is solid and harder than the mantle? Maybe in deep time the core and mantle were liquid enough to make such a reaction take place?
I do believe radioactive decay is responsible for the Earth's heat. But not Fission reactions. I wonder if anyone has looked for the By Products of uranium fission in Magma or Igneous rock sample?
Does anyone know what By Products to search for in Magma or Igneous samples?

 

[Andre]

A good deal of info on the geo reactor can be found http://www.pnas.org/content/100/6/3047.long. It's the He4/He3 ratio (d3He) that would support such a thing.

Some geophysicists may take the geo reactor seriously but I doubt that many nuclear physicists take it seriously. I have seen heated debates about the very delicate conditions required to have a sustained fission reaction.

The inner core is solid due to the extreme pressure. It's also been discussed that the inner core could have been fluid during Earth formation. But heavy atoms concentrating at its center is at odds with the very nature of fluids but more strongly so due to the (near) zero gravity at the center of the earth.

 

[Studiot]

As the georeactor dies, the geomagnetic field that it presumably powers after a time will begin to collapse. But unlike previous geomagnetic collapses, that have restarted and re-energized the field, a time will come when the actinide fuel of the georeactor is too diminished to initiate self-sustaining neutron-induced chain reactions; the georeactor will die and sometime thereafter the geomagnetic field will die and will not restart.

The above is a quote from your link Andre. Many thanks for this link.

I have highlighted the word presumably as I did not see any explanation as to how magnetic fields can be generated by fission and would be interested if anyone would care to explain this to me.

Obviously as a source of heat energy fission is pretty good so I am keeping an open mind about the wider aspect of a proposed georeactor.

Cheers.

 

[Andre]

Purely speculatively it makes sense. But there is no way to test that hypothesis.

Suppose that the georeactor heats the solid inner core, then convective currents in the outer core could transport that heat to the mantle. The (rotating) convection cells would then be generating the Earth magnetig field. Furthermore the mantle would also be heated at certain places, this would generate hot mantel plumes, which could drive plate tectonics at the surface of the earth.

But maybe there are other causes for the generation of the geothermal heat in the Earth core.

 

[Studiot]

So the suggestion is that heat from fission drives the more conventional magnetic generator.
That I could accept as a hypothesis.

We have a great deal yet to learn about the inner workings of our planet.

 

[billiards]

One "geophysicist" who proposes this is J. Marvin Herndon who set up this website:

WARNING! This site is a personal blog, think twice before believing anything it claims.
http://nuclearplanet.com/

To be honest, I think the guy is a crackpot, so for the record I do not advocate anything you find on that site.

I hope this does not break forum guidelines, I have not posted this to backup any point, merely to draw attention to a leading source of crackpot theories about deep Earth geophysics.

 

[Jbcourt]

More investigation need to be done for me to make a dission on this.
Thanks for all you help!