Endogenic processes are those that
occur or are created under the Earth's
surface. Folding and faulting are the two
most important endogenic processes (or
tectonic movements). Volcano,
metamorphism, and earthquakes are
the subsequent endogenic processes.
The Earth’s Internal Heat
Heat energy plays a vital role in our planet. It is one of
the extreme factors in what makes the world livable. If
you think of a volcano, you know Earth must be hot
inside. The heat inside of our planet moves continents,
build mountains and causes earthquakes, but where
does all this heat inside the earth come from?
Heat in the Interior of the Earth
A. Two categories of the internal heat sources of the Earth:
a. Primordial heat
- heat from accretion and bombardment of the Earth during the
early stages of formation. If you hit a hammer on a hard surface
several times, the metal in the hammer will heat up (kinetic
energy is transformed into heat energy).
The core is a storage of primordial heat that originates from
times of accretion when kinetic energy of colliding particles was
transformed into thermal energy. This heat is constantly lost to the
outer silicate layers of the mantle and crust of the earth through
convection and conduction.
b. Radiogenic heat
(the heat generated by long-term radioactive decay)
– its main sources are the four long-lived isotopes
(large half-life), namely K40, Th232, U235, and U238 that
made a continuing heat source over geologic time.
Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity,
radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process
by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation
B. The estimated internal temperature of the Earth
a. The mantle and asthenosphere are considerably hotter than
the lithosphere, and the core is much hotter than the mantle.
b. Core-mantle boundary - 3,700°C
c. Inner-core-outer-core boundary - 6,300°C ± 800°C
d. Earth’s center - 6,400°C ± 600°C
C. Redistribution of the Earth’s heat:
a. Simultaneous conduction, convection, and radiation
Conduction governs the thermal conditions in almost entire
solid portions of the Earth and plays a very important role in
the lithosphere. Its processes happen in the earth’s surface.
Heat from the Earth's core and radiation from the Sun is
transferred to the surface of the Earth by conduction. Contact
of the atmosphere with these warm surfaces transfers thermal
energy, which then heats up the rest of the air through
convection.
Convection involves transfer of heat by the movement of mass, which is a
more efficient means of heat transport in the Earth compared to pure
conduction. Convection occurs at the mantle, but not between the core and
mantle. In geological time scale, the mantle behaves as a viscous fluid due to
the existence of high temperatures. In convection current, the mantle of the
earth moves slowly because of transfer of heat from the interior of the earth
up to the surface. This result to the movement of tectonic plates. Hot
materials are added at the edges of a plate and then it cools. At those edges,
it becomes dense by its exposure from the heat and sinks into the earth at an
ocean trench. This start the formation of volcanoes.
Mantle convection is the movement of the mantle as
heat is transferred from the core to the crust. The
temperature of the mantle varies depending on whether
it is near the crust or the boundary of the core. The
principal contributors to the heat of the core come from
the decay of radioactive elements and from the heat of
the molten outer core which solidifies near the inner
core.
Earth’s heat budget drives most of the geological
processes on Earth. This measures the flow of thermal
energy coming from the core, passing through the mantle,
and up to the atmosphere, which is mainly due to the
mantle convection. This, however, is counteracted by the
solar radiation.
Radiation is the least important mode of heat
transport in the Earth. The process of heat exchange
between the Sun and the Earth, through radiation,
controls the temperatures at the Earth's surface.
Inside the Earth, radiation is significant only in the
hottest parts of the core and the lower mantle.