The suns energy is from fusion, fine makes sense.
But the core is a hot spinning liquid metal generating tremendous amounts of heat. Why hasn’t it cooled down? How is it replenishing its energy?
In: Planetary Science
> But the core is a hot spinning liquid metal generating tremendous amounts of heat.
It is *releasing* heat. Billions of years ago when young Earth was forming, many processes were occuring. Asteroids collided with the Earth releasing kinetic energy and adding mass. The sun’s rays added energy through radiation and the atmosphere kept it trapped on Earth. This mass started coming together because of gravity and pressure increased, causing particles to collide with each other releasing more kinetic energy. Radioactive decay of elements deep in the core also released heat. Eventually, Earth solidified and through shifting land movements, this heat became trapped inside it and the outer layer cooled.
> Why hasn’t it cooled down?
It has cooled down and continues to do so, but slowly. The heat is insulated pretty well because of everything surrounding the core, but it isn’t a perfect system so it leaks. We also harvest geothermal energy from places where the crust is thin.
> How is it replenishing its energy?
It doesn’t. All the energy it has came many, many years ago, it doesn’t acquire any more.
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