GEOL 001 Lecture 16: Geol 001 - LEC16
20 Dec 2020
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Document Summary
Most accepted explanation is that the core formed early in earth"s history. As earth began to cool, iron in the core began to crystallize and the inner core began to form. Earth"s temperature gradually increases with an increase in depth at a rate known as the geothermal gradient. Averages between about 20 degrees and 30 degrees celsius per kilometer in the crust (rate of increase is much less in the mantle and core) Major processes that have contributed to earth"s internal heat and potassium (k) Heat emitted by radioactive decay of isotopes of uranium (u), thorium (th), Heat released as iron crystallized to form the solid inner core. Heat released by colliding particles during the formation of earth. Rates of heat flow in the crust varies. Flow of heat through a material by the collision of atoms & flow of electrons. Important mechanism in the lithosphere, the d layer, and the core.
