The core of the Earth, at the very depths of our planet, burns at an incredible temperature of 7,952 to 11,012 ° F (4400 to 6100 ° C). Fortunately, this nightmarish, hellish landscape of molten iron and nickel is over 3,728 miles (6,000 km) away.
Due to its metallic composition, the core is the main driving force behind the planet's natural magnetic field. However, it is also the source of many heavy elements that seep into the mantle as a result of convection and eventually reach the surface.
One of these elements is a rare isotope of hafnium - the so-called Hafnium-182. Its half-life is 8.90 million years, after which it turns into the isotope of tungsten Tungsten-182.
It is believed that the Hafnium-182 + Tungsten-182 pool in the core is represented mainly by hafnium, while the mantle contains more tungsten and the Tungsten-182 isotope is more abundant there.
Since convection is assumed between the mantle and the core, scientists can determine their approximate age based on the proportion of the Tungsten-182 isotope in the rocks.
And now, a group of geologists from Carleton University and Queensland University of Technology have made an incredible find, which they published a detailed report on in the journal Geochemical Perspectives Letters.
Research conducted by scientists in the area of hotspots of Reunion Island and the Kerguelen archipelago has again confirmed the theory that there is an exchange of matter between the molten core and the mantle of the planet and, ultimately, volcanic activity is the main mechanism for cooling the planet.
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“Certain volcanism, such as the one that still forms the volcanic islands of Hawaii and Iceland, may be associated with the core by mantle plumes that transfer heat from the core to the Earth's surface. However, whether there is a direct exchange of physical material between the core and the mantle now has been a subject of controversy for decades,”the scientists write.
The following is written about the problem of this dispute in a scientific article:
“The isotopic composition of Tungsten-182 in mantle magmas is approximately the same for 4.3 - 2.7 billion years BC, after which the content of tungsten isotopes decreases. This change may be associated with the onset of crystallization of the inner core or with the onset of post-Archean deep subduction of the plate, which more efficiently mixed the mantle.
When the planet's core was first formed, it consisted entirely of molten metal. However, over billions of years, the core began to cool and calm down. At the same time, now, judging by the increasing decrease in Tungsten-182 in the rocks supplied with the magma, this process seems to have accelerated. Meanwhile, the vortex rotation of liquid metal deep inside our planet is what gives the Earth a magnetic field.
The outer layer of the Earth's core is constantly moving as a result of intense heating and chemical processes. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), this process acts as a "natural electrical generator." But if the core of the Earth stops in stone, then this magnetic field generator will stop immediately.