UNIVERSE
PLANETARY INTERIORS
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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Original heat
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Differentiation
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Latent heat
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Radioactive decay of isotopes
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Detailed explanation-1: -There are three main sources of heat in the deep earth: (1) heat from when the planet formed and accreted, which has not yet been lost; (2) frictional heating, caused by denser core material sinking to the center of the planet; and (3) heat from the decay of radioactive elements.
Detailed explanation-2: -Temperature in the inner core is about 5, 200° Celsius (9, 392° Fahrenheit).
Detailed explanation-3: -Earth’s core acts like a storage heater, with heat released during crystallization of the inner core that buffers the slow cooling of the planet as it radiates its heat to space. The most obvious expression of this heat transfer is Earth’s magnetic field, which is generated by convection in the liquid outer core.