Why is the interior of the planet hot?

It is found under the Earth’s crust, and its depths range from 30 kilometers below the surface to 2,900 kilometers toward the core. Internal temperatures can reach 2,000 degrees Celsius, which is the point at which rocks melt and produce the magma that volcanoes expel.

Finally, there is the nucleus, the exact composition of which is unknown. It is divided into two layers: outer, which is in a liquid state, and inner, which is solid due to the pressure of the planet on it.

Experts estimate the Earth’s core to be around 5,000 degrees Celsius, although researchers at the European Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (ESRF) argue that a more accurate estimate is 6,000 degrees. So far, no probe has reached the core of the planet, so we are now within the range of estimates.

Over time, the Earth’s core will cool completely, a few billion years from now. When this overall cooling occurs, the magnetic field What protects the Earth will be greatly diminished or even extinct. Without this protection, solar radiation would destroy our atmosphere.

Sources: Alexander Hello, Professor and Researcher at the Department of Geology at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG); Norberto my kids Professor and researcher in the Department of Geology at UFMG.

* With text by Tatiana Pronin