The core of the Earth cools to Faster rates than previously thoughtThis week, researchers said this could accelerate the planet’s inevitable march toward habitability millions or billions of years from now.
The Earth’s interior has gradually cooled over the 4.5 billion years of its existence – a generally beneficial pattern as the planet evolved into today’s green paradise, where humans have thrived For about 200,000 years.
Scientists wrote in an article published in the journal مجلة Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
But how quickly this process occurs is the subject of ongoing research.
A group of scientists has studied bridgemanite, a common conductive mineral found between Earth’s core and mantle.
They found that it is 1.5 times more conductive than previously thought, which means the Earth’s cooling process may also be faster than previously thought.
“We found that the overall thermal conductivity at the core-mantle boundary becomes 1.5 times greater than the traditionally assumed value, supporting a higher heat flow from the core, and thus a more robust mantle load than expected.” , the researchers added.
“The results indicate that the mantle is being cooled more efficiently, which will eventually dampen many of the mantle’s thermal-driven tectonic activities faster than would be expected from conventional thermal conduction behavior.”
When the planet cools down, It will lose its magnetic fieldWhich protects the Earth from harmful cosmic radiation. At this point, the land will become a barren and uninhabitable rock.
Researchers did not dare to guess how many years life could exist on Earth.
A 2013 projection by Andrew Rashby from the University of East Anglia in the UK linked Earth’s habitability to being good for one another 1.75 billion to 3.25 billion years old, assuming no nuclear holocaust, rogue asteroid, or other unexpected catastrophe.
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